Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
fc-,
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THE
LIBRARY
OF
THE
UNIVERSITY
OF
CALIFORNIA
S
PRESENTED BY
PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS.
PRUDENCE W. KOFOID
A SPORTINC; TRIP
T 1 1 R O U G 1:1 ABYSSINIA
ABYSSmiAN
IBEX.
A SPORTING TRIP
ABYSSINIA
A NARRATIVE OF A NINE MONTHS' JOURNEY FROM
THE PLAINS OF THE HAWASH TO THE SNOWS
OF SIMIEN, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE
GAME, FROM ELEPHANT TO IBEX, AND
NOTES ON THE MANNERS AND
CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES
P. H. G. POWELL-ipOTTON
F.Z.S., F.R.G.S.^
=
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS ANP MAP
LONDON
ROWLAND WARD,
i-.m.,
i66 PICCADILLY
1902
(Tbc tf-mprcss (Faitu of tPtbiopta.
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED,
WITH HER majesty's GRACIOUS PERMISSION, BY THE AUTHOR, IN
GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OK A PLEASANT SOJOURN IN THE
CAPITAL OF HER ILLUSTRIOUS HUSBAND, THE EMPEROR
MENELIK, AND OF SPLENDID SPORT AMONG THE
SNOW-CLAD MOUNTAINS OF HER NATIVE
COUNTRY, SIMIEN.
qiin hvtT. '^g.t HM-.n MK->-ti
C
tii^ftt ^^t s.o T
)
<*oi ft/-r.u ji*- nv hO
t,'^it*i>
xTiasLftu fl-^u-l >.. >.S-> Jihh
The Empress Taitu's Acceptance of the Dedication
OF THIS Book.
Fne Tniinlation by Colonel \V. F. Pridec
Kroin the l-nipress Taitu,
the I.isht of Ethiopia,
To Mr. rowell-Cotton.
Sahitations be unto you.
We learn that you would like to dedicate to us your book of travel in Abyssinia.
It gives us much pleasure to grant you
permission to do so, and we thank yc
for your kind thought.
Written on the Isl of the month of Vekatit in the year of grace 1S93.' .Vt our cily
i.f .-Kdis .Vbaba.
E7C7
PREFACE
WiiKX I Started from Englanil in the month of October
1899,
nothing was further from my thoughts than writing
a book on Abyssinia. I intended to join a sporting
expedition, whose goal was the newly discovered game-
country round Lakes Rudolf and Stephanie. Circum-
stances altered my plans, with the result that after some
weeks' stay at Adis Ababa, I found myself engaged,
without a single white companion, on a journey through
regions which no I'Airopean foot had trod for genera-
tions. Having kept a careful record of the sport I
enjoyed and the chief incidents of my wanderings, and
brought back numerous photographs of the scenery,
people, and game of the little-known districts through
which I passed, I have thought that the narrative of
my experiences, though containing no accounts of hair-
breadth escapes or records of gigantic slaughter, might
be sufficiently interesting to be pul)lished. in this
opinion I was encouraged by Mr. Rowland Ward, to
whom my thanks are due for undertaking the publica-
i^.'?11'P?4
X A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
lion, as well as for the care he has bestowed upon
the printing of the book and the reproduction of the
illustrations. The delay that has taken place was
mainly caused by my absence
on garrison dutyat
Malta.
I take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude
to all those who helped me on my way during my
Abyssinian journey, or who have contributed in various
ways to improve and adorn the present work. Chiei
among the former I reckon the Emperor Menelik him-
self, without whose leave and protection I could neither
have undertaken my expedition nor brought it to a suc-
cessful issue. Next comes Lieut. -Col. Harrington, H.M.
Agent and Consul-General for Abyssinia, who, besides
obtaining that leave for me, received me most hospitably
at Adis Ababa, and materially aided me at a time of
great trouble and perplexity. Important aid was also
given by Lieut. Harold, British Consular Agent at Zeila,
Mr.
J.
L. Baird, the Secretary, and the Staff of the
British Agency, and Major Ciccodicola, H.LM. charge
d'affaires
at Adis Ababa. Lastly H.E. the Governor
of the Italian Colony of Erythrea, Captain Cavaliere
Mulazzani at Adi Ouala, Major Filippo Baldini and
the Officers of the Italian Garrison at Adi Ugri, and
particularly Major Vittorio Elia, Chief of the Staff, who
not only gave me a cordial reception at Asmara, but
supplied mv with imich useful infonnation and a number
of excellent photographs. My special thanks are due
to the Hon. Walter Rothschild, who kindly undertook
the classification and description of the specimens of
Mammals shot during the trip. This section will give
to the volume a value, in respect to the Natural History
of the country traversed, which it would not otherwise
possess. For the identification of the seeds collected
at Adua I am indebted to the officials at the Royal
Gardens at Kew. The photographs of the Abyssinian
letters, arms, curios, and heads of beasts, which appear
among the illustrations, are by G. M. Powell-Cotton.
To all those contemplating an Abyssinian trip the
"Hints to Sportsmen" given in the Appendix will, it
may be hoped, prove acceptable.
P. II. G. POWELL-COTTON.
QUF.X I'AKK,
January 1902.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
How I came to visit Abyssinian-Departure from I.omlo
at Marseilles and Aden- ZcilaEnrolling our foil
-Camel inspection Captain Harrington's ca
Detain the mail steamers
ersDifficulties with men
Start for the interi'
more camels
-
Higher gro
stationLess
from Iibuti
CHAPTER n
-Too much kitFirst head of gameHeadman sent back for
V night alarmNative wells Early marchingWe are weighed
id and a pretty campA trying march kills camels Camel-posi
Kudu uround Beira antelope A run of bad luck- Travellers
CHAPTER HI
ling the L-.-cori- The devil's mountain Hot springsGildessa The Sluim calls
We try our mulesFrench rifles for Menelik A country of running water-
Camels dying A red-letter day with lesser kuduH. bags an anlbear The
first klipspringerProtecting our campBad shooting . 21
CHAPTER IV
T.mibacca, chief of ihi- Oderali Does France, Russia, or Italy rule England?
Blackmail
They outwit usA large herd of elephantsI turn a chargeA great waste
of meat ............41
CHAPTER VI
Cutting out ivoryGame of all sorts Hippo shooting A fine waterbuck
Money-changers Butter-
Beer Knives
Bamboos
Horses
European
shopsIndian merchantsA veteran curio dealer .... 106
CHAPTER XH
The EmperorGorgeous vestmentsDancing before the ArkThe Emperor's
courtesyThe private chapel The audience chamber The great hall
A royal lunch 12,000 guests Mighty drinking-horns
An Abyssinian
CHAPTER XHI
How the i^)ueen's present of horses and hounds travelled to .Adis AbabaHounds
die The first coursing-meeting attended by the Emperor- " Gucks " the
national game Menelik enterlained at the British Agency
A dog's
CHAPTER XIV
ncy to TadechamalcaWe despatch our trophies to the coastI return alone to
the capital
My
farewell interview with the NegusHis concern for Captain
Harrington His interest and knowledge of .shooting and travel Native troops
in IndiaThe Transvaal War ........ 142
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
CHAPTER XV
Collecting a caravanPassports from the Negus--An Irish resident from the time of
TheodoreBuilding the KesidencjThe Emperor's forest of Managasha
Lovely sceneryBushbuckBlack and white monkeys Keedbuck-- Duiker-
Return to the capital
I'age
1
5
>
CHAPTER XVI
ecting dollars
St. Mariam's The ruined fort St. Kaguel's An angry priest Curious
picturesA thunderstormThe lent wrecked Compound swampedLoss
CHAPTER XVH
Abyssinian tents Pack-saddles
" In-
telligence"' of Abyssinia viA Europe
My
caravan, its composition
I
leave the
Agency and set out on my journey north . . . . .175
CHAPTER XVHI
in One man's meat is another man's poisonThe head-waters of the
MoguerGrand sceneryI weigh my menSomalis' acute sense of smell
Crossing Salali
Our church and clergyThe Ras and his new churchI bid him farewell
A
fine mountain viewA handsome old manThe Abyssinian plough . 222
CHAPTER XXH
I hear of big gameEvasionOrders that I am not to shootA dilemmaSend a
messenger to MenelikA long waitA friend in needDespatch letters to
Ras MangashaAttempt to burn me outSmall game-shootingThe upper
waters of the Blue NileBushbuck-shootingA fine waterfallNative fisher-
men
My
men attacked Trial by eldersVerdictReconciliation ceremony
Professional
beggars
233
CHAPTER XXHI
News at last
My
messenger's adventuresRobbed and beatenA friend in need
We
descend to the Soudan
My escort assembling
The first day's shooting
Jokes at
England's expenseA cool requestAn ineffectual startI return to the ruler
A stormy interviewI win- Within sight of the SoiulanA
fine view
A
steep
descentThe last village
Page 316
CHAPTER XXIX
unting for Uudu
Queer trees
and legends A trying marchA great- troop of mantled baboonsLost in the
clouds Among the Simien mountains Strange scenery Sight ibex^An
awkward shot Success A splendid trophy
A native meal Ibex
haunts 35^
CHAPTER XXXII
useless shot A red-letter day with ibexI''iivl the herd Plan the stalk
A
worthless guideI lake the lead.\ difficult bitThe crawl upA .splendid
sight The clouds shut <lownAn anxious waitThe shotFour rolled over
Rain, sleet, and hailMen refuse to move.-^ chilly march to camp
A
search for a missing ibexTry fresh groundDescent from SimienA terrible
roadSplendid scenery ......... 36S
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
CHAPTER XXXIII
A local chiefA somewhat cool requestWe cross the TakazzeOur guide deserts
usLose our wayA Tigre chief and his villageThe Khalifa's letter-bearer
A buried church and its legendA fever-haunted, lonely valleyRuined
villages
Page 380
CHAPTER XXXIV
We reach Adua A Greek trader Adua market King John's interpreter
A
tantalising episodeBattle and sporting picturesLedj Marcha's houseAn
Abyssinian trial
My
passports discussedThe battle of Adua . . 390
CHAPTER XXXV
A visit to AxumThe oldest monolithThe stone of King AeizanasOther relics
of the pastThe governor receives meThe great churchServiceThe bell-
towers
A mausoleum The King's seat or coronation stone The largest
obelisk
Sacrificial altars
A curious ornamentation
Camel inspection
Captain Harrington's
caravan leavesThe native town.
A SERIES of chances led to iny journey across Abyssinia,
and enabled nie in the course of eight and a half months'
wanderings to traverse the dominions of the Emperor
Menelik, from the extreme south to the extreme north,
covering some 1500
miles in that most interesting
land.
Since 1895-96,
when I made my first shooting-trip
through Somaliland to the Webbe Shabeleh, it had been
my wish to arrange for a similar journey in Portuguese
East Africa, but no o[)porlunity oltered, and I had to
content myself with a tour in the Central Provinces of
India, and two years si)ent
across the Himalayas, ior
the purpose of completing my collection of Kashmir and
Tibetan game. However, in May 189S, I determined
to bestir myself, find a companion, antl make a start
for Beira. Inquiries among friends led to the collec-
tion of valuable information from a traveller who had
recently shot in those regions, and who also placed
u
2 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
me in communication with the sportsman who had
arranged the trip which it was thought hkely he would
accompany. But time went on, and as no reply came
to my friend's letters, the proposed trip came to nothing.
It was at this time that Mr.
J. J.
Harrison proposed
that I should join the party he was organising to go
from the Somali coast across the north of Lake Rudolf,
and through the unexplored country between the point
where the Omo runs into that lake and Fashoda. At
first I feared there would necessarily be more ex-
ploration than sport, owing to the transport difficulties
involved in this tour, but being reassured on this point,
I decided to join the expedition.
We intended to strike inland from Berbera and
thence by way of Ginea, where Dr. Donaldson Smith,
the American explorer, had been turned back by the
Abyssinians on his first attempt to reach Lake Rudolf
But owing to the activity of the Mullah Abdullahi
in the Haud,
Colonel Sadler, the Consul-General for the Somali coast,
did not think it safe for us to venture by that route,
and finally decided that we must go via Zeila and Harrar,
or not at all.
Our partly finally consisted of Messrs.
J.
J.
Harrison,
W. Whitehouse, A. E. Butter, and myself We had also
with us D. Clarke (chartographer), Perks (taxidermist),
and Daniel (Butter's servant). As I was the only
member of the party who had had any experience of
Somaliland shooting, the preparation of the first rough
lists of all requirements for the trip fell to me
;
this meant
a good deal of work, as it involved looking up old lists
DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
and bills, working out quantities, loads, etc. As the
question of tinned supplies and of tents is of the greatest
importance, I may state, for the benefit of future travellers,
that the former came from the Army and Navy Stores,
and the tents from Edgington. We each got our rifles
and ammunition from our own particular gunmaker. INIy
battery consisted of
Blackmail
A refractory camel
A
Christmas dinner.
Next morning, as soon as it was light, we started off to
cut out the ivory. It was by no means easy to find
the carcases. W.'s shikari had tal<en the precaution to
mark the track of the elephant, with the result that the
natives had been there before him, and cut off the tail,
which they greatly prize. B. and his men were hunting
for his share for over two hours. I found my first
elephant easily and took a photo as it lay. In addition
to the tusks and a tooth, I removed the forefeet, the tail,
ears, and a roll of skin. While hunting for the second
animal, I found another carcase, but whether it was
one I had wounded or not, we could not tell. The
spherical two-ounce ball, with ten drams of black powder,
had, I found, in each case pierced the skull just between
the eyes and at the root of the trunk. I do not think
the .400
bullets, even if accurately placed, would have
penetrated to the brain. I had not seen my ammunition
before it was packed, and, on opening it, was surprised
52
CJiOSS THE RIVER
to see that the cartridges I had specially ordered for
elephant-shooting had nickel-coated, soft-nosed bullets.
These, fired into such a mass of bone, were bound to
expand before penetrating far.
I tried following one blood-stained track, but the beast
had crossed and recrossed so often that it was impossible.
On reaching camp, the whole place was strewn with
portions of elephant, and every one was engaged in
cleaning and pegging out the trophies. My companions
had each saved a complete head-skin, intending to have
ii set uj) with the large ivory we hoped to get near Lake
Rudolf On a previous trip I had taken one home, and
therefore did not care to save another until I had actually
shot the big tusker.
Later in the afternoon, as the work was going all
right, I took one man and went along the belt of jungle
by the side of the Hawash. The river is here a muddy
stream, some
40
yards across and 6 feet deep. Mowing
between sandy banks rising to
30
or
40
feet, often
shaded by fine trees, with their branches touchmg the
water. In many places the jungle was so thick, that the
only ai)proach to the river was by tunnels made by the
hippopotamuses. Except a few crocodiles in the river,
the only thing I saw was a kudu cow, though there were
numerous tracks of zebra, oryx, and elephant. Next
morning we all cro.ssed the river in tlie Berthon boat,
three at a time, taking in all forty minutes to ferry. We
then separated, I myself going a little up-stream and then
climbing a hill, from the top of which we had a fine view
of the great bend of the Hawash, at the lower end of
which we had camped. A
"
sassa " gave us a long
54
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
climb, before I shot it. We had seen numbers of greater
kudu tracks about, but although we found two lots of
cows, and searched carefully with the glasses, we could
see no bull. On the way back we came on both oryx
and pig, besides the tracks of lion, leopard, buffalo, and
hippo. We reached the river bank just at dusk, and had
a fearful job in getting through the belt of thorn-jungle
outside. We shifted camp next morning
an hour's
journey up-stream. I spent the day looking after and
labelling skins, getting out fishing tackle, etc. After an
early dinner, we all went off and took up our positions in
different zaribas, in the hope that a lion might pass, as
there were several fresh tracks about. The first part
of the night was very hot, but luckily there were no
mosquitoes. After breakfast in camp, H. and W. went
off to see if they could make anything of the buffalo
tracks, while I walked up-stream till I found a school of
hippo in a pool. These beasts come to the surface to
breathe merely for a few seconds at a time, and then only
show some
3
inches of the head above water. The
brain is very small, so that shooting has to be quick and
accurate. The first one I fired at rolled and splashed
about like a porpoise, coming right into shore and then
dashing out again, meanwhile throwing itself half out of
the water. Another shot missed, but the next hit the
monster in the head, when it sank. Further up the river
we found some others, one of which sank at once when
the bullet struck. As we repassed the pool where I had
first fired, I saw a hippo floating, with two crocodiles
swimming round ! A bullet drove them off. After lunch,
we all set out for the dead hippo, sending two men along
VI HIPPO SHOOTING
55
the river in the boat, to see where it had floated. When
we reached the pool, we found a big carcase towed
ashore, which my men said was floating by a sunken
tree when they arrived. H. said hippo seldom rose
under a couple of days, and that probably my wounded
one had stirred up the dead bodies of those they had
shot two days ago. With much exertion the body was
got partly out of the water, and the men set to work to
get the head-skin off. Meanwhile those in the boat had
seen nothing of the first carcase which had floated down-
stream, so after prodding about in the pool, to see if any
more dead ones were about, I set off in the boat and
soon found the body, caught by a bough which projected
into the water. We towed it ashore and got it partly up
the bank. After a hurried dinner, I went off to the
zariba, but saw no game all night. Ne.xt morning,
without returning to camp for breakfast, we started up-
stream for some way, seeing nothing but a small pig.
The buffalo appeared to have crossed the river to the
other side. W'hile we were lying in the shade, two men
whom I had sent on ahead, returned to say they had
seen some vvaterbuck. W'e soon sighted the herd, but
it was some time before we could fintl the buck.
Suddenly we came upon him, and with a hurried shot
wounded him. Then began a stift chase, for the river
here flows close to the hills, ami there were endless
rough spurs to climb. Once more I wounded the
animal at long range, as it stood under the shade of a
tree, and eventually came up and finished it off. It had
a fine head, and a splendid coat of long coarse hair. By
the time we had tramped the 8 miles back to camp,
56
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH
ABYSSINIA
we were all pretty well done up, for the day was
oppressively hot, and we had been without food. On the
way I shot at a big hippo, which rolled over twice and
sank.
As next day was Christmas, we three wanted to
spend it where we were, and I was anxious to get the
big hippo, which I felt pretty sure was dead; however,
H. decided to march. That night I again sat up in
the zariba, but except for a hippo which landed close
to us, and seemed inclined to investigate matters, we
heard and saw nothing. On Monday, 25th December,
Christmas Day, I returned to camp at 6 a.m. and the
caravan left an hour later. It took just three hours to
cut across the big bend of the Hawash. As soon as we
had left the belt of trees by the river, we found a sandy
open plain, sparsely dotted with thorn trees, which con-
tinued till we drew near the stream again.
Long before this we had adopted the clothes and
head-dress which we each found suited us best, and
a queer-looking lot we must have been. H. generally
rode in shirt sleeves, with a silk handkerchief knotted
round his neck, and a felt hat on his head, supplemented
in the heat of the day by a large white umbrella, the
putting up of which was invariably the signal for his
mule to bolt straight for the nearest timber. Thin boots,
cloth gaiters, and dog-skin gloves, completed his costume.
B., finding his breeches tight about the knee, had cut
off the ends with a knife, turning them into shorts.
These, with thick stockings, shooting-boots, a flannel
shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a silk neckerchief, and
a felt hat, made up a kit which, at first sight, seemed
CHAP. VI GALLA HORSEMEN
59
hardly suited to a country of burniii<; sun, thorns, and
snakes
;
but when his face, arms, and knees had become
a fine mahogany colour, the contrast was not so great.
W. did not court the sun, and affected a coat, with cloth
gaiters and a khaki umbrella. I stuck to putties, as
offering more resistance to both thorns and snakes than
loose gaiters or stockings, and at the same time not
rustling in the grass, as leather does. I also wore a
khaki coat with a good spine pad inside, and a pith
helmet (as being less trouble than an umbrella). A pair
of red braces which I wore (for I think braces cooler
than a belt) were always the subject of much chaff. H.
was the only member of the party who shaved, and that
only at intervals.
While we were waiting for the caravan in the shade
of a fine mimosa tree on the banks of the Hawash, a
body of Galla horsemen arrived on the scene, galloping
up in little groups. At first we were a bit uncertain as
to their intentions, but, on questioning the first arrivals,
our interpreter learned that they were off on a big
elephant-hunt. They were a fine-looking body of men,
naked except for a loin-cloth, and perhaps a leopard skin
hanging loosely over one shoulder. Their arms w^ere a
throwing and a stabbing spear, besides a curious large
knife which is common to the Esa tribes. They were
mounted on strong, wiry, unshod ponies, accustomed to
picking up their living anywhere. These animals were
decorated in a remarkable manner. The harness was
gay with brass discs, and their saddles covered with the
skin of the swiftest or most ferocious animal the owner
had killed. Round the pony's neck and about his head
6o A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
were fastened the tails of beasts, or (most prized of all)
the mane of a lion slain with the spear. A few of the
men had ivory bangles, which denoted that an elephant
had been laid low by the wearer. After watering their
ponies, many of the people came and sat round, taking
the greatest interest in us and our belongings. Probably
not one of them had ever seen a white man before, and
they plied us with all sorts of questions. Among other
things, they asked why we wore boots, and were
astonished to hear that we had toes like theirs, and that
we were white all over. Ne.xt to our clothes, our rifles
and field-glasses interested them most. The smallness
of the bullet of my .256 made them sceptical of its killing
powers, and when the use of the telescopic sight was
explained, their wonder knew no bounds. Meanwhile
the caravan had been crossing the ford, which was
nearly a hundred yards wide, with the muddy water
waist-deep. Clarke was the first to wade over and have
a bathe from the far bank. I followed, and took some
snapshots of the others as they arrived. An hour's
journey brought us to the steep banks of the Cubanoar,
a tributary of the Hawash, a narrow, rather swift
stream, with a bad ford much obstructed with tree-
trunks. We had a good deal of difficulty in getting the
laden camels up the further bank. One beast fouled a
stump, and without more ado quietly sat down in mid-
stream, whence no amount of blows could make it
budge
;
so, amid much shouting and swearing, a very
miscellaneous load had to be undone and carried ashore,
where it was at once repacked, while the refractory beast
was dragged and pushed up the bank. We camped a
A CHRISTMAS DINNER
'i^tw hundred yards from tin- river. Tiffin over, I goi
out the ingredients for our Christmas dinner and then
repacked store-boxesa job which often fell to my lot
"Absent friends
"
and "Success
to the trip" were drunk in champagne-cup.
We had originally intended following the une.xplored
course of the Hawash to Zoquala, making a flying visit
to Adis Ababa, either from that point or from where
the bridge crosses the river, on the main road from
Harrar, but H. decided that this would take too long,
and that we must push on towards the capital by double
marches, leaving the caravan at the last place where
good grass was to be found, while we rode up to Adis
Ababa and back to our men in the shortest time possible.
CHAPTER VII
A park-like country I stay behind for lionNo money or meatMule
and
donkey stolen
A
triumph for British interestsSelassee ChurchThe Russian Medical
MissionWeighing ivoryA religious marriageAbyssinian marriage
customs.
Before I proceed with the narrative of our doings at
Adis Ababa, it will be as well, for the sake of clearness,
if I preface it with a short sketch of the topography of that
capital. When I say that the British Agency is two miles
from the Gebi, that buildings e.xtend quite that distance
on the other side of the latter, and yet that within thai
area one finds stretches of half a mile with hardly a hut,
it will give some idea of the size and scattered nature
of the "city," which resembles a collection of villages
rather than what we understand by a town. The market-
place lies almost due west from the Agency, and, as the
road leading to it, and returning by the palace, passes
nearly every place of interest in the capital, I propose
to take the reader on a circular tour along its extent.'
'
Whun I use the word
"
road," it must be umlerstood that I do not mean one
either paved or macadamised, but a rough track across a hilly country, and in the
same muddy state as an English tield-padi in winter lime.
NATIVE LOOMS
Starting troin llu: British A^cnc)-, we cross llu: stream
that runs jjast the side of the comijoiiinl, ami, Icavino;
the Russian Embassy, and a little further on the hospital,
on our right, we descend i)y a rough and slippery path
to the bed of another shallow stream, ami ascend again
by an even worse track on the further side. We next
approach a stretch of rough grass-land, with little huts
and enclosures scattered over it, many of which are
ffi.5a^^-^
inhabited by men whose chief occupation is weaving.
The looms are extremely primitive, consisting of stakes
dri\'en into the ground. On these they weave the loose
soft Abyssinian cotton into shammas.
Proceeding on our way, past the group of weavers,
we come to the telephone office. This is a large circular
tuciil, the roof supported inside by a ring of posts, on
which are hung the rill<'s and shields of the guard.
Here we are lucky enough to timl .M. INIiihle, the Swiss
engineer in charge of the line. A curious spectacle is
afforded by the mixture of science and barbarism that
82 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
characterises the place. Thus the visitor will find the
latest invention in telegraphic and telephonic apparatus
lying on tables made of rough packing-cases, side by
side with a few aiiiold or salts and a pile of cartridge-
cases (both empty and full), which have been received
in payment of messages sent. Besides the instruments
in use, materials of all sorts are scattered aboutcells,
insulators, receivers, call-bells, and so on ; for here are
An Abyssinian Weaver.
kept the supplies for the smaller stations between this
and Harrar. The doubling- of the line of copper wire
is now nearly completed, which will add greatly to its
usefulness, for at present a message from the capital to
Harrar can be heard at all the intermediate stations and
is, more often than not, interrupted by a message
between the latter. In order to prevent such inter-
ruption in the early morning, each station is guarded
while the official messages go through, but after this
time the ordinary mortal has to take his chance, and,
as the Abyssinian official has always plenty of time on
-CUSTOM-HOUSE
83
his hands, lie likes nothing l)ctter than to sit at the
instrument and chip in with any message he hears going
through. In the same building is also the post office,
where the mails, under the concession granted to M.
Vidailhet, are despatched and received from Ilarrar
every ten days. I bought some of the stamjjs and
post-cards, and had others sent to Harrar, as the unused
ones sold in Europe are Abyssinian only in name, being
despatched straight from the engraver in Paris to the
dealers, and those on letters sent al^-oad are carefully
removed before they quit Jibuti.
Leaving the telephone office, we cross the road to
Entotto and the F"rench Embassy
;
then, skirting the
stockade which surrounds the Abuna's residence, and
a farm, where some black pigs were generally grubbing
about in the track, to the disgust of my Somali followers,
we plunge down a deep gully between walls of clay and
rock and cross another tributary of the Hawash. On
the further bank we pass between the tuculs and en-
closures of a large village, which nestles against this
side of the hill crowned by St. George's Church. ( xoing
up the slope beyond the village, we reach the open
ground on which the market is held, and, looking across
it, see before us the strong palissade of stone and wood
surrounding the Custom-house, the roof and cross of
St. George's appearing above all.
The entrance to the Custom-house is above the
stretch of ground where the horse and mule fair is held,
in the western portion of the market. A strong wooden
gate gives access to a yard, with a large building in the
centre, where the officials sit in an open verandah, re-
84
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
ceiving dues and granting receipts. Opposite them lies
a long range of buildings, in which the merchandise has
to be stored
until it has been valued and the Customs
are paid. Lying about in odd corners are elephant
tusks, some whole, others sawn in half, while outside
the verandah are piles of forty and fifty each, among
them some splendid specimens. A mile and a half to
the west lies M. Savoure's, the chief French merchant's
new house and shop, and a little further on is the Italian
Embassy.
Looking south-east from just below the
market, where all the Greek and Indian merchants'
shops are situated, we get the best view of the Gebi
enclosure, the new Aderash or great hall being its most
prominent feature. As we descend the hill of St.
George's in the direction of the palace, we pass M. Ilg's
house on our right, then cross a muddy ford and slippery
ascent, to descend again to a ditch, which borders on
the palace stockade, and arrive just opposite the principal
oate. Keeping the Gebi on our right, we cross first
the line of pipes which supply the palace with water from
a spring close to the French Embassy, and next a single
line of rail used to convey the stone for the new building
from the quarry. We now turn north-east, cross a small
bridge, and then pass between Selassee Hill and an
expanse of fairly level turf lying at its foot. On the
left, close
under the hill, are some gardens belonging
to the
Emperor, in which geshii is grown. This Is
an
evergreen
plant, the leaves of which are used in
making tej, to increase the intoxicating effect of the
beverage.
At the further side of this grassy plain are
Menelik's
store-houses
and arsenal, protected by the
VISIT THE EMBASSIES
85
usual Stockade, viz., a stone wall supporting a line of
high ;unl rather thin poles ; these are tied together, and
set with A number of sharp sticks pointing outwards,
like
"
chevaux de frise," with thorn bushes filling up
the intervals between the latter. Still proceeding north-
east, we now cross another stream, on the banks of
which are the royal quarries, traverse a stretch of rough
grass-land that borders the main branch of the river,
pass a camp of Abyssinian soldiers with little grass-and-
rush shelters, or pent
-
shaped tents for the men and
round, mushroom-like ones for the officers, and thus
reach our starting-point, the British Agency.
On Tuesday, 2nd January, we paid a formal visit to the
Russian and French embassies. At the former we merely
sent in cards, as General Vlassow's wife, an Englishwoman,
was lying seriously ill. The chief building of the Russian
Legation was a long structure with white-washed walls,
raised on a platform and surrounded by a large, untidy
compound, with the camp of the Cossack guard in one
corner. The French Legation, a much more imposing
edifice, was some distance away on the road to Entotto,
the old capital. Here, after passing through a couple
of enclosures, we found ourselves in front of a gatehouse,
in which is the office of M. Kouri, the Consul, who re-
ceived us. After a short chat, he left us to the enjoy-
ment of our cigarettes and took our cards to the Minister,
who sent word that he would be pleased to receive us.
We were then led through two more enclosures to the
semicircular end of a large, oblong tucul, with no visible
windows, where it was so dark that at first we could
hardly see the chairs we were invited to take. As our
S6 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, we found that we
were seated in an apartment draped throughout in red
and blue, and decorated at intervals with gilt stars and
shields which displayed the tricolour of France. In the
centre of the straight wall, facing the semicircle in
which we sat, stood a gilt throne, raised on a kind
of platform and surmounted by a canopy flanked by
curtains. On either side, on the lower level of the
floor, a small chair was set. The whole effectadded to
the dim, religious lightwas distinctly weird, and when,
after some little time, a door behind the draperies
opened, we felt almost disappointed at seeing, instead
of the e.xpected magician, a dapper little Frenchman,
in white trousers, braided tunic, and military cloak,
enter the room. After we had each been formally
presented by the Consul, the Minister, M. Lagarde (for
it was he), seated himself on a chair just in front of us.
Formerly he used to receive visitors seated on the throne,
but, since some chaffing remarks on the subject were re-
peated to him, he reserves this more majestic form of
reception for natives, and descends to the same level when
he receives Europeans. The conversation was carried on
in French, in which language B. proved much the most
proficient of us. An apology for our rough riding-
clothes led to a discussion on the state of the roads
about the capital and the best way of making the
journey to the coast, when we learnt that M. Lagarde
travels in a mule -litter, in which he can lie at full
length, and sleep or read, as he feels inclined. Whilst
sipping a glass of sweet champagne, we next chatted
on sport, of which our host is very fond. He told us
TKLXITV CHURCH
that he paid frequent visits, for the sake of small-game
shooting, to the estate which the Elmperor bestowed
on him, when he created him 1 )Lik(; of Mnlotto, and
which lies a short march from the capital. In con-
sequence of the aforesaid unusual distinction, M. Lagarde
is said to have had his visiting-cards engraved with a
ducal coronet and the words
"
Le due d'Entotto," but
these cards are rarities, and I tried in vain during my
sojourn in the capital to procure one.
Next morning, Messrs. Lane and Wetherall called
at the British Residency to say good-bye, on their
return to the coast. They were taking with them gold-
mining concessions, duly signed and sealed by the
Emperor, which was considered a great score for
British interests, especially as some other parties had,
from selfish motives, being doing their best to thwart
their aims.
In the afternoon we went over Trinity (Selassee)
Church. This wi: found to be a thatched, circular
building, of the usual Abyssinian pattern, surmounted
by an elaborate gilt cross. A raised,
oi^en
\'erandah
surrounded the sacred edifice, the wall of which was
hung with coloured chintz. Several large doors led
into the interior, the centre of which was occupied by
a square structure reaching to the roof, thus leaving
but a narrow space outside it for the worshippers.
This is the holy of holies, in which the ark containing
the holy books is kept, and may only be entered by
one of the officiating priests. The whole exterior of
this shrine was covered with highly coloured religious
prints, pinned on to the wall. Among these were two
S8
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
or three European paintings on canvas and a few
specimens of native art. The most interesting portion
of the church was the vestry, situated in a sort of
crypt. Here were piled in open chests, hung on nails or
cords, or stacked in corners, the most extraordinary collec-
tion of gorgeous -coloured vestments, mitres, crutches,
umbrellas, sacred books, sistrums, drums, incense-burners,
processional crosses, and all the properties used in the
elaborate ritual of the Abyssinian church, in fact a
perfect museum of curiosities, but all apparently in
hopeless confusion. How I should have liked to spend
a week turning over and examining these treasures ! but
no such luck : the priests hustled us out, after permitting
us only a hurried glimpse at them. Later on I dis-
covered how very difficult it was to view these things,
for, although I often tried, there was but one other
occasion at Aduawhen I succeeded in getting a
sight of a similar store. In the evening Captain
Ciccodicola dined at the Agency, and we did our best
to console him for the departure of his friends, but he
was much depressed.
Next morning some of us took out three of the four
greyhounds which formed part of Queen Victoria's
present to the Emperor, and tried one or two courses
after jackals
; the dogs ran well, but the jacks were too
quick at getting to ground.
In the afternoon, five Russian doctors, in gorgeous
but dingy uniforms, and all wearing Abyssinian orders
of various degrees, came to call. They are members
of the medical mission, which Russia maintains in Adis
Ababa at an expense of some 'jooo a year, as a means of
WEIGH IVOR Y
ingratiating herself with the natives, and showing how dear
is their welfare to the white Czar. They live together
in some wretched-looking tuculs and tents, in a very
untidy compound, some little distance beyond the Russian
Embassy. Among the Europeans they have not a very
high reputation for medical skill, but they have done
much useful surgical work for the natives, especially
those wounded in the late war with Italy. After them
M. Lagarde and his Consul came into the Residency.
Each party was accompanied by a crowd of armed
followers, as is usual in Abyssinia with all persons of
any consequence, whether European or native. Among
the I'lite of Adis Ababa, a person is esteemed according
to the number of his retainers, quality being quite a
secondary
consideration. When Captain Harrington
first came up to the capital he decided to reverse this
order of things, so, whenever he rides out, he is only
accompanied by a couple of Indian sowars; but their
dress and accoutrements are the perfection of smartness.
In the course of the day we weighed the ivory
of eight of the elephants we had killed on the journey
up, but the total amounted to only
134
lbs. This
we sent up to the Emperor, for he is entitled to the
first tusk that touches the ground of every elephant
shot ; but it has become the recognised thing for English
sportsmen to send in all their ivory, unless the Emperor
gives them permission to keep one or two pairs of tusks.
In speaking of Selassee Church, I might have
mentioned that, a few days later, I witnessed there a
religious marriage ceremony, which, however, consisted
merely in the parties concerned taking the sacrament
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
together. This simple function, nevertheless, is con-
sidered binding for life, and what is more, it is the only
one that forms such a bond. At its conclusion, the
whole of the wedding-jjarty usually adjourn to the house
ot the bride's parents, where the rest of
the day is spent in banqueting, drinking
tej, singing and dancing, in all of which
diversions the priests take a prominent
Ijart. European travellers agree in
stating that religious marriages in
^.byssinia are extremely rare. Riippell
indeed goes so far as to assert that
marriage is a purely conventional
arrangement, which subsists just as long-
is both parties are satisfied with it, and
is dissolved by
mutual consent,
and without any
interference of the
authorities, as soon
as this is no longer
the case. The only
exception he allows
is in case of dis-
agreement with
regard to the parti-
tion of the common property ;
but even here he does
not think that the decision of the judge appealed to
is always binding. This is, I think, going a little
beyond the facts
;
and having made special inquiries
into this subject from men well acquainted with the
Censer, Bell, and Sistrums,
MARRIAGE AM) DIVORCE
customs of the natives, I think the following may be
taken as a fair statement of the case.
Abyssinian marriages are but rarely religious, being
generally of a civil character. They are solemnised
before a court composed of seven elders. The inteml-
ing bridegroom having sent his father or other elderly
male relative to the girl's father to ask if the latter agrees
to the proposed union, inquiries are made into the
financial condition of both parties, b'or this purpose the
worldly possessions of the pair are lumped together and
made common property, but in the case of a wealthy
man and a girl with no dowry, the bridegroom estimates
the beauty and virtue of the bride at a certain sum, and
reserves the rest of his own fortune for himself Should
the husband subsequently wish to get rid of his wife, he
can only do so by allotting to her one half of the com-
bined fortune in the one case, or of the sum set aside as
the equivalent of her virtue and beauty in the other.
Should there be proof that the wife is unfaithful, the
injured husband can turn her out of the back door in
her dress only, stripped of her jewels and literalh- with-
out a .salt {i.e. a sou). Theoretically the wife can claim
divorce from her husband for misconduct with other
women, but generally for the Hrst offence the court
mcrel)' remonstrates with him. .Should, however, the
husband have communicated disease to his wife, the
latter is entitled to a divorce and half his fortune. In
Shoa about one quarter of the marriages are life con-
tracts
; the remainder are really annual arrangements
with concubines, the agreement being renewable year by
year for a stipulated sum. The children of either of
92
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chaf. ix
these unions are equally legitimate, and bear the father's
name and share his goods. However, should a man
have children by a concubine, and then marry for life,
it is usual for the bride's father to stipulate that the man
shall set aside a certain sum for the concubine's children,
and that the latter shall have no share in the remainder,
nor in the money which the bride brings into the
common fund. Daughters can have no share in their
father's land, but share equally with the sons in his
personal property. In the case of a man possessing
only land, the sons have to provide for the daughters.
Although a man can legally have only one wife or
concubine at a time, this rule is broken by officers on
active service at the front, who maintain a concubine
privately, but do not enter into any agreement before
witnesses. Of this the wife is supposed to know nothing.
A child is its mother's property till three years old, when
the father has complete control over it. In the case of
a divorce, or of a concubine's agreement having lapsed,
the father is responsible for the mother's maintenance
until a child is eighteen months old. From that age
until the child is three years old the father has to pay
for the child's food.
CHAPTER X
Menelik's palaceThe Emperor receives usHe grants us leave to travel
Live-stock
Jewellery
Money
-
changers
Butter
BeerKnives
BamboosHorses
Mules
driven by the terrific wind against the canvas, produced a deafening din.
Every second the lightning flashed, and we kept well away from the
tent-poles, wondering which would go first, and where. The Honorary
Attachea militiaman, and consequently military mindedexplained
to us that the upper part of a broken tent-pole, falling with jagged end
to the earth, impelled by the weight of a tight wet tent, would be, if it
hit you, almost as pleasant as a bursting shell. Presently the end pole
toppled over, without however cracking, so that we were still forced to
only imagine its similarity to a bursting shell. Harrington and I rushed
to support the centre
-
pole, which was tottering. The Honorary
Attach(5 had disappeared. Presently frantic yells arose from out the
tangled mass of waving wet canvas which filled the upper end of the
1/2 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
tent, where the fallen pole had originally stood, the mass seemed to be
convulsed by a strong extra gust, and the damp and dishevelled
militiaman crawled out of the debris, where he had gallantly dived to the
rescue of a new cookery book. We then decided that it would be
useless to stop till the other two poles fell ;. it was better to bolt
through the hail and flood to my tucul, which stood some 20 yards
behind the tent. So piling the books and papers on the chairs, we
accordingly did so, getting soaked to the skin on our journey. After
banging at the door, we were let in by my Egyptian servant, Abdel Aal,
tarbouchless and bootless, with some slight indication of surprise on his
India-rubber face, who was engaged in baling out my bedroom. Here
the water was coming through, as if there was no sign of roof ; on
the floor a large canvas ground-sheet with turned up edges had been
spread, and here a lake was formed, some 18 inches deep. It was
only by constant baling that the water was prevented from overflowing
and filling the main tucul. In this part of the building there were only
a few legitimate leaks, considering the downpour, and these were easily
kept in hand with buckets, baths, and basins, spread on the floor.
The storm showed no sign of abating. Harrington made a dash
for his tucul, and the Honorary Attache (his head tied up in a towel),
for the spot where his green tent was last seen waving in the wind.
Abdel Aal continued to bale, and I sat over an oil-lamp. Presently
Harrington and the Honorary Attache returned, drenched. Harring-
ton's tucul was leaking at every point, and his bed was sopping. The
Honorary Attache's tent hung by one peg, and a stream, 6 inches deep,
rushed through it. Having piled his rifles inside the bed, seized a suit
of khaki, and tilted his boxes on one end, he waded back to my
tucul.
Here we all waited till
7.30,
when the rain stopped, and we went
out to survey the ilamage. The partially fallen tent stood as we left it
with a large rent in the roof, through which the middle pole projected.
The large mess-tent mercifully had stood firm
;
its fall would have been
a serious catastrophe, for there were stored the whole of the plate, glass,
and crockery. This had no doubt been saved to a great e.xtent by the
permanent house in course of construction immediately in front of it.
The half-finished building had suffered little
;
it only looked a little
more grotesque than before, a collection of matchwood Martello
towers.
We got out a dozen boys and had the tent-pegs driven in, and the
RAINS A T A/>/S AHA ISA
1
7 3
fallen tent partly put up. Then we visited the stables. Only two
horses had got wet, but the Honorary Attache's mules stood outside in
nearly a foot of water. We made room for them under cover.
It was during the hammering of the tent-pegs, and the setting up of
the fallen tent, that we were struck with the usefulness of Powell-Cotton,
and decided to add him to the staff. Assuming a commanding attitude,
a lamp in one hand, and the other waving like a semaphore, tirelessly,
he issued his orders in a firm, sharp English voice, to a crowd of
shivering .^byssinians ; the words they did not all understand, but the
attitudes, the
Je
ne sais qiioi of the militiaman on the job, left no
^^^^^^^^^1
174
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap, xvi
One of our workmen, returning home, was struck by lightning and
instantly killed. A woman was struck in her house, and now lies
partially paralysed.
These were merely the "light rains," nothing at all, a mere shower,
compared with what happens during the real raius in June, July,
August,
and September.
Adis Auaba, zisl Fcbniaiy 1900.
CHAPTER XVII
Abyssinian tentsPack-saddlesThe trade-dollar of AfricaLetters to
the Governor of ErythreaA lieutenant of Leontieff'sNews of
the IJoer WarThe Russian Legation are refused permission to
travel to Massowah
'
Tola "-shooting
A
devil's homeHippopotamus-shootingTwo walk ashore, another
sinksA busy dayFiring a muleFording the AbbaiCrocodile-
shooting-A dangerous crossing Great heatRacing a jungle-lire
A picturesque villageHerds of bohor The Abyssinian wolf and
ticld-rats.
On reaching the first level yroiind beltnv the cliffs, I
was surprised to hnd the mules unloaded and my tent
partially pitched. On inquiry, my men said this had
been done because the guide had told them there was no
other place to camp
;
but, being dissatisfied with this
excuse, I had the loads replaced, and gave orders that
the beasts were not to be unloaded till the river bank
was reached. I then went on ahead, the guide pro-
testing every ten minutes that we had arrived at the
last stream of water on the way. When he found this
e.\cuse of no avail, and saw that I went steadily on, he
declared that it would be impossible for the mules to
reach the river before dark. Passing through a little
village of six or eight huts, the path entered thick
scrub, in which we put up a bushbuck, but the jungle
was so thick 1 could not catch sight of it. The guide
95
196 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chai>.
now led us to the top of the second hne of chff, down
which the path was so bad that my men described it
as "only fit for monkeys." It was really practicable
enough for men with bare feet, but it was trying work
obtaining a foothold with boots. However, I sent the
mule back to join the others and eventually got down
safely. On the broken ground below I saw some white-
A/
%
% /
Front View of Skulls of Reedbuck.
fronted little monkeys, known as "tota," feeding on
berries, and managed to bag a couple with solid bullets,
fortunately without much damage to the skins.
We then pushed our way through a dense, tangled
jungle to the shade of some fine trees by the edge of
the river, which was here some
70
yards wide and of a
dirty brown colour. The point we had reached lay a
little distance above the ford, which skirts the edge of
some broken water
;
this being, according to the natives.
XIV
H/PPOPOTAMrS SffOOTIAG
197
safer from crocodiles, which abound in ihis spot, than the
parts where the water is still.
While I was going up-stream towards the ])ath by
which the mules were to descend, a hippo showed his
head above water, and I fired three shots without any
apparent effect. We could sec the mules still loaded
standing under some trees in the distance, and suddenly
MM
igS A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
most of its Inhabitants, brought in a sheep, jars of tej
and tala, sour and sweet milk, and a mess of red pepper
which the natives eat with their thin cakes of bread.
At about nine o'clock two hippos came and snorted
opposite camp, and, as 1 saw one starting to walk ashore,
I seized the .400
and crawled down to the water's
edge, but something disturbed them and they went off.
The night was very hot, and I was glad to lie on my
bed with the tent wide open at either end. Only the
night before, at Jarso,
1 slept under eight thin blankets
and with the tent laced up ! The country I was now in
had an evil reputation. My Abyssinians said that a devil
lived here and would give them headaches, and, as a
measure of precaution, they smeared their heads with
butter. The only satisfactory feature was the total
absence of mosquitoes. Ne.vt morning, before the sun
was up, I was off down-stream past the ford, and on
rounding a bend of the river heard the snort of a
hippo and saw the head of one floating in a big pool.
Keeping out of sight among the trees on the bank, I
reached the spot and found a herd of seven or eight ;
sometimes three or four heads would be visible at once
;
then there would be a long pause, followed by one beast
after the other rising for a few seconds in quick succes-
sion, but never quite in the same place as before. There
appeared to be three or four full-grown animals, so, wait-
ing my chance, I ran across the shingle to the water's
edge and sat down. I was just ready when two came up,
and aiming for the orifice of the right ear of the largest, I
fired. The animal rolled and kicked about, churning the
water into foam all round it, sometimes making for one
KILL THREE H/PPO.^
bank, sometimes the other, and finally began to walk
ashore close to wiicre I was waiting-. It was rolling like
a drunken man, throwing- its head from side to side,
champing its tusks, and altogether looked such a
ferocious object, that, as soon as its body was clear of
the water, I fired again at the l)rain, and it rolled ov(-r
dead. Almost immediately after, two otht^rs rose, and
one of these I hit. It Ijehaved much as the first one
had done, but was not so violent, and when it staggered
out of the water on my side, I went up close and put a
bullet into its ear. The school had now moved a little
up-stream, and I followed. As one rose to breathe I
fired, but missed, the bullet striking the water just as it
sank. However, shortly after it showed again, and I
fired at the eye. This time it threw its head out of
water and sank at once. The two I had first killed
were soon rolled ashore, and by the lime reinforce-
ments from camp arrived, the third had lloated in mid-
200 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
Stream, just forty minutes after being shot. In spite of
the crocodiles wliich the blood had attracted, the men
swam out to the carcase, and soon towed and rolled it
ashore. I took some good photos of the landing of the
three beasts, which proved to be a bull and two cows,
all full-grown. The bull was curiously marked with
white, especially about the legs and feet, several of the
toe-nails being cream-colour. We all worked hard and
by four o'clock had the head-skin and jawbones, besides
two feet, the tail, and some skin for a shield, taken off
the bull ;
while 1 took the whole skull of one of the
others and the tusks and tail of the third. 1 was much
pleased with the day's shooting, for three hippos shot in
twenty minutes, and all recovered within the hour, is as
good a result as any one can wish for. In each case we
found the brain-pan smashed to atoms, while, except for
minute pieces of nickel, no trace was lett of the solid
.256 bullets. 1 think it is therefore pretty certain that,
if the bullet is fairly placed in the brain, the animal Avill
tioat within the hour ;
if this does not take place it is
the shooting which is at fault.
On Sunday, i ith March, we were busy boiling skulls,
cleaning and drying the feet and bits of hide, repairing
camp-kit, etc. During the day we saw hundreds of
people, who had been attending the Saturday market,
ford the river on their return to Gojam. The men for
the most part stripped and tied their clothes round their
necks in a bundle, while the women shortened their
skirts and then waded across, the water coming up to
their waists as they crossed over hand in hand or cling-
ing to one another's clothes.
FIRING A MULE
Two of the mules had rubbed backs, and as a great
swelling had appeared above the withers, I decided to
"fire" them. In this operation the beast is thrown, his
legs tied together, and, while he is held down, five or
six strips,
9
inches to a foot long, are burnt with a
specially made iron deeply into the tlcsh on either side,
close up to the backbone. The operaticjn is a nasty
one to watch, the smell of the burning flesh being
especially repulsive. I do not think the animal suffers
very much
;
at all events nine mules out of ten, directly
they are released, trot off to their companions and begin
feeding. Moreover, the process is generally successful,
the swelling disappearing and the wounds rapidly healing
up. In one case, however, in which the animal sweated
terribly under the operation, and afterwards swelled up
all over, it never recovered, and died a few days later.
At dusk we saw a hippo land on the other side of the
river, a little below camp, and walk along the shingle
with its nose close to the ground, just like a huge pig.
I took a rifle and went down, but darkness came on
before I could locate it among the scrub on the opposite
bank.
Xe.xt morning, as we had to cross the river, I turned
out at
4.30,
and by
6.30,
three-quarters of an hour after
daybreak, every load was ready, strapped as high as
possible on the mules' backs. Half an hour saw the
whole caravan safely over, our only loss being a skin of
honey, which had been carelessly tied and come undone,
covering the rest of the load with its sticky sweetness.
The water, which had fallen a little in the night, was
3
feet deep in the centre. An hour's journey along
202 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
the bank of the river brought us opposite the carcases
of the three hippos, by which a number of crocodiles
were basking, having gorged themselves on the flesh.
Two shots with the telescopic sight, and one of them
gave a convulsive shiver and then lay still, while
another snapped his jaws, but had apparently lost the
power of moving his body. While the caravan went
on, I and four men started to cross the river to secure
one of the skins. The water was swift and came above
the waist, while the stones in the river-bed were very
slippery. Being unaccustomed to go barefooted, I
suffered considerably, continually
damaging my feet in
my efforts to prevent myself being swept away, and,
had it not been for my men's assistance, I should never
have got across without swimming. The thought of
those dozens of crocodiles a little way off did not add to
my ease of mind. However, we all got over safely, and,
after spreading out most of my clothing to dry, soon
had the beast dragged into the shade. It was
9
feet
long and just about as much as the four men could lift.
While we were skinning it, some little animal attacked
the felt cover of my water-bottle
and devoured a great
patch of it. Having secured the crocodile, we recrossed
the river and set out after the caravan. We crossed
the Mogga, a finely wooded side -nulla, with a stream
of clear water
5
yards wide, the whole place a network
of hippo-tracks. The heat was great, and after walking
for an hour, we halted under the shade of some trees.
While we were lying here half asleep a man passed,
with all his clothes carried in a bundle on his head.
Behind him came a cow and a calf, driven by another
^l JUNGLE-FIRE
man whose sole article of attire (if it could be so called)
was a parasol. They halted just bc)oiul us, and, after
putting on some clothes, came and had a lon;^'- gcxssip.
The valley of the river was more conhned here.
The red
-
coloured cliffs were 600 to 800 yards apart
and
30
feet high. Immediately below them lay sohk;
150
yards of steep, rock-strewn ground, thinly cU)th(tl
with sun-baked jungle, then a slope of
30
yards, bordered
by fair-sized trees. A drop of 10 yards on one side
brought us to the water's edge, while on the opposite
bank a sloping stretch of shingle
40
yards wide separ-
ated the trees from the river. The water averaged 6 feet
deep or a little more, and
50
yarils in breadth. The
lower line of rocks was brown, and the shingle com-
posed of large brown and white stones. Having learned
from our friends with the cow that we had overshot
our path, we turned back and then climbed up the steep
side of the valley. Although the path was shaded, the
heat was oppressive and the rocks too hot to touch. At
the top we passed along a narrow path through dense
jungle, and then up another slo[)e. Haifa mile to our
left, fanned by the breeze which blew towards us, was
a great belt of flame, e.xtending from the edge of the
cliff above the river to the top of the second slope. As
evening came on, this jungle fire was a grand sight
The lion of the tribe of Judah hath conquered, the second MeneHk,
the elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia.
We have delivered this our letter to ^Ir. Cotton, a subject of the
English Kingdom.
While passing through Gojam, Dembia, Simien, and Tigre, we
command you to regularly supply him with food, and let him pass
without hindrance on his journey, and also where there are wild beasts
along the road show them, so that he may hunt.
Written on the ist of the month of Tarr in the year of grace 1892.'
At the Camp of Safety.-
This letter had already been seen by the two Fitauraris
at Debra Markos and also by Ras Wurgay, but not by the
King of Gojam, and as the Emperor's letter to him only
mentioned shooting at Simien, there now seemed no
doubt that Tecla Haymanot had sent instructions in the
terms of the letter he had received, and that his officials
would recognise no orders but his. Thus, after coming
eighteen days' march from Adis Ababa, it seemed certain
that, while I and my men would be well fed and escorted
safely to Simien, I should get no sport worth men-
tioning ! I discussed with my men every plan I could
think of for evading these restrictions, including that of
going off on our own account, but this, they said, would
I
Sill lanuary 1900.
-'
/.<. The Royal Camp.
236 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chai'.
be hopeless, as in a few hours the local Shums would
collect several hundred men and drive me back. Event-
ually, I decided to write to the Emperor and to Captain
Harrington, and wait where I was for an answer. For
this purpose I made choice of Beyener, a wiry, in-
telligent man, who had been a merchant's muleteer all his
life, as my messenger. I gave him the packet of letters
and a bag of dollars, told him how matters stood, and
ordered him, if possible, to get through to Captain
Harrington at Adis Ababa. The whole camp turned
out to see him start at eleven o'clock, mounted on my
best riding mule, a rifle slung across his back, and a
rhinoceros-hide
whip in his hand. He was in high
spirits and, as he galloped off, said he would do the
journey in seven days ! We all felt a little down-hearted
after his departure, wondering if we should ever see him
again, and what might happen in the meantime. Round
Basha Kassa's little tent all the local headmen and their
attendants were seated, discussing in awestruck tones
what would befall a man who thus defied Ras Wurgay
and refused to continue on his journey, and how they
personally would be affected by the matter.
Later on a merchant from Gondar, named Falukka,
who had a house here, came to visit me. He proved a
friend in need, as he could read and write Amharic, had
travelled a lot about the country, and stood in no awe of
the local officials. He read Menelik's letter, which, he
said, might be construed as meaning that I was only to
shoot actually on the road and not off it. I then got
him to write a letter to Ras Mangasha at Gondar, asking
if I might shoot from
Dungulbar
;
with this I enclosed
ATTEMPT TO /-TA'.V ME OUT
the Emperor's letter to him, and a copy of the one in
dispute. Early next morning 1 sent a man off with
these letters, while 1 skirmished round for small game,
seeing a good many oribi, duiker, and reedbuck. The
camp was a very hot one, and the flies were terrible. In
the course of the morning, we saw a large grass fire
rolling up the valley towards us ; the air was filled with
clouds of sparks and smoke, above which hawks and
kites were circling and swooping down just in front of
the tlames, to jjounce on the rat-like rodents on which
the cuberow or wolf lives. These were running from
their burrows, trying to escape being roasted. We all
turned out and fired a strip between our camp and the
grass fire, and when we had cleared a belt broad enough
to prevent the big fire jumping to the long grass on the
other side, eventually succeeded, by the aid of green
boughs and sheep-skins dipped in water, in extinguishing
the smaller fire we had created before it grew beyond
our control. After all danger to our camp was over,
the men came and danced in front of my tent, and
received as a reward some money, with which to
purchase tej. In the evening another grass fire
broke out, and for some minutes it was touch and go,
whether we should save the tents or not ; as it was,
many of us got badly scorched, before the llames finally
swept by only a few yards to our left. We could not
doubt that these fires were lit on purpose to drive
me from the jjlace
;
but who instigated the villagers
to start them I could not find out, as each accused
the other.
On the slope of the hill whicli rose just above camp
238 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
was a small village, while on the flat top lay the district
market-place, shaded by some dozen large trees. As
the position was in every way more favourable, I next
day moved up to this place, and pitched my tent under a
splendid tree, the one furthest removed from the centre of
Duiker Skulls.
Titrkogogo. DungoUr. Gazgay.
the market. On the branches of these trees my Somalis
found a quantity of fine gum, of which they collected
half a sackful. For sixteen days I remained camped
on this spot, spending the time in exploring the country
round, sometimes remaining out all day, but more fre-
quently coming back to the shade of camp for the hottest
SMALL CAME SHOOTING
hours. I succeeded in keeping my men fairly well
supplied with fresh meat, and seldom returned without
one or two bohor, oribi, or duiker for the larder. The
first day I went out, Basha Kassa started to follow me
;
I stopped and asked if he intended to interfere with my
shooting, to which he replied that his orders were not to
prevent me, so long as I "did not move my camp from
the road. I found the villagers at first most anxious to
show me where game was to be found, l)ut soon a
change was apparent in their demeanour. This puzzled
me, as I had always rewarded them either with money
or meat, till one day, as a man was guiding me to some
bohor ground, I saw a horseman suddenly leave a caval-
cade which was passing along a road close by and gallop
up to us. Drawing my guide apart, the stranger spoke
to him, whereupon the man turned and left us. The
object of this was clear, and I learned that orders had
been sent to every hamlet within three hours' journey,
that I was to be shown no game. After this the only
people from whom I got any help were an old Mohammedan,
who lived close to a big grassy plain which stretched to
the bank of the Abbai, east of our camp, and the priests
of a church situated north-east of us. They were most
anxious that I should shoot some wart-hog which de-
stroyed their crops, but these only fed at night, and
although I spent several days on the ground, both early
and late, I never caught sight of them. It was here that
I saw an ingenious trap for catching duiker, made of a
heavily weighted wattle hurdle, the support of which was
released by the victim pulling at threaded beans attached
to a trigger.
240
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
The Abbai, where it flowed past the old Mohamme-
dan's village, was a clear stream, some lo yards
wide and i8 inches deep, with stepping-stones across.
Further down, in the direction of Lake Tana, it ran
through thick jungle, a place I often went to after bush-
buck, but without much success.
One day, when hunting on this ground, I went some
three miles further down stream than usual, and came
upon a fine waterfall some 150
feet across and
90
feet
high, facing due north. For some distance above,
the river is deep and sluggish, and I could not make
out where the roar came from, till close to the fall.
On our return, a man offered me a number of fish
12 inches long, which he said he had caught with
line and hook in the river below the fall. Another
fisherman we saw casting a long fine net from the bank
and drawing it in
;
in one cast he took four small fish.
In several places the river had been pardy dammed
across, and wicker fish-traps set.
In anticipation of the receipt of the Emperor's letter,
I sent off a couple of men towards the shooting-ground,
to see if the reports of elephant and other big game
were correct : but they came back on the following day,
saying they had been stopped and asked for their pass-
port. They told the officials some yarn about hunting
for strayed donkeys, and were sent back with a caution.
That night, after dusk, another couple of my men were
brought to my tent, both terribly bruised and knocked
about ;
one had a 3-inch cut on the head, the bone
being laid bare
;
the other a smaller cut. They said
they had taken a sack of red chillies to be pounded at
MY MEN ATTACKED
;ui adjacent village, that some women had agreed to do
it for two salts, and that they were quietly sitting down
and chatting while the work went on. Presently a man
named Argaferry Tobedgee, who ranks next to Ledj
Desster in the neighbourhood, arrived and began abusing
them for being my servants. This led to a quarrel, in
the course of which Argaferry attacked my men with
the butt-end of his riHe, calling on the villagers to do
the same. However, the latter rather sided with my
people, and after separating the conflicting parties, tied
up my men's heads and brought them back to camp.
I dressed the wounds and summoned Basha Kassa,
telling him he was answerable for the ])roper treat-
ment of myself and my men, and that he had better take
steps to ensure our safety, or take the consequences.
Two days later, Ledj Desster came to inquire into
the case. I said I left the matter entirely to him, and
that if my men were in the wrong I wished them to
be punished according to the custom of the country.
They then adjourned to a neighbouring tree, and I went
out shooting. When I returned to camp in the evening,
I heard that my men had been awarded twelve salts
as compensation, and that Desster had said he was
going away, leaving Argaferry in charge, and that I had
better keep my men in camp ! Next morning Ledj
Desster returned with the five village elders who had
tried the case, and, after an egg-cupful of neat absinthe
and a piece of cake, he gave me a full account of the
trial. He recited how he had called five men full of
years and wisdom to try the case, and related in detail
all they and the witnesses had said, with the result that
K
242
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH
ABYSSINIA
chap.
they had found Argaferry guilty of being the aggressor
and of having struck the first blow. The court then
condemned him to provide the wounded men with money
for food till they recovered,
and then to make them
a final present. On hearing this sentence, Argaferry
Tobedgee himself came forward and, addressing the
court, admitted that he had lost his temper and was
to blame ;
that he was sorry for his conduct, and now
wished to perform the ceremony of reconciliation. All
present then stood up, forming a circle round the culprit,
at the side of whom stood one of the elders. Gabreo-
hanis and Dustar, the two injured men, were then led
forward, one at a time, while a new salt with the rush
band still round it was produced. Argaferry held one
end of this, while one of the wounded men held the other,
whereupon, with a smart blow from a stick, the elder
broke the salt in two. The aggressor then took both
pieces in his hand and threw them violently on the
ground, exclaiming:
"If I ever strike this man again,
may God break me and cast me to the ground, as I do
this salt." Then stooping, he picked up one of the
pieces and bit off a portion, crunching it with his teeth,
and finally, spitting it at the injured man, said: "May
this quickly heal your wound." The curious ceremony
was then
repeated with the other man, after which
the
aggressor embraced both the injured men in turn,
taking them by the right hand and kissing them, with
the words
: "As we were friends before, so let us be
now."
The whole proceeding was treated with the
greatest
solemnity, the oath being considered a most
sacred one. I
asked afterwards, what was done with
A LARGE MARKET
the broken salts, and was told they were given to the
mules and donkeys, because they were bad for horses,
and that if a man ate them, his teeth would drop out.
I now heard that, on the same day I had sent
off my messenger to Menelik, Basha Kassa had sent
one to Ras Wurgay, to ask for instructions. The reply
U) this request came six days later, and was to the effect
that he could not give me permission to go off the
road, but that I could either continue my journey or
wait for a reply from the Kmpcror, in which latter case-
I was to be supplied with all 1 wanted. This I refused,
as it meant that the wretched villagers v.'ere to be
heavily taxed for my support. I said all I wanted
was that no difhculties should be put in the way of
my purchasing supplies, but, as the people made a lot
of bother, saying they would be punished lor not
carrying out the Ras's orders, I had to send away the
provisions two nights running, before I could convince
them I was in earnest.
Monday was the day appointed for the weekly
market, and a very large one it was, by far the best
I had seen since leaving Adis Ababa. At first I told
my men to remain clos)e to the tents and not to allow
too many men to collect round them, as I felt a little
uncertain what the temper of the people might be.
However, I found ihem the same good-natured, curious
crowd as they were at Debra Markos and Dembatcha,
and I and my men used to stroll about without the
slightest interference or rudeness on the part of the
villagers. There were not many mules offered for sale,
and what there were fetched high prices
;
on the other
244
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH
ABYSSINIA
chap.
hand, plenty of good donkeys were generally to be had.
I bought four, at prices varying from 7^- to
9
dollars.
Besides grains and
condiments of all sorts, butter,
honey, potatoes, cotton (both raw and woven),
swords,
and shields of
buffalo-hide were all to be had, of good
quality and cheap. The district is most
famous for its
tanned leather,
which is either left in whole skins,
for sleeping on, or made into sacks. Instead of the
empty
cartridge-cases I had seen so far used as the
small change for a salt, the people here gave handfuls
of raw cotton.
Among the hides e.xposed for sale
were those of roan antelope, tora, defassa, bohor, oribi,
and duiker, all of which had been recently killed.
One market-day a party of hunters returned
from
the low country ;
many were accompanied by their dogs
and armed only with spears. They had slain a buffalo,
the tail of which they carried stretched on a framework
of wood to dry.
The only curio I found during my visits to the
market was one of the large horn tumblers, ten inches
high, from which the people drink tej or tala.
Ten days after my messenger had left to take the
letters to Ras
Mangasha, he returned. He reported
that, owing to the west side of Lake Tana being infested
with robbers, he had gone by the east bank. At Chelkar
he saw Dedjatch
Cubudda, son of Ras Beettiwadad
Mangasha,
who was laid up with a severe gun-shot
wound in the leg. He told my man that, while on a
shooting
e.xcursion to the west, he had ridden down
and tried to capture a baby elephant ;
its cries had
brouo-ht the herd back, and his men, alarmed for his
A FOOL OF A
MESSENGER
safety, fired a hurried volley, when unfortunately one
of the bullets struck, and lodged in, his left shin-bone,
lie had bt-en carried back to Dembea, where he lay
in great pain ; for they had not been able to extract
the bullet. Both Menelik's letter and my letter to the
Ras he had forwarded to Sinter, where the Ras was
staying, but without reading them, ;is they were not
addressed to him. By the hand of two of his men he
sent me a letter, asking- me, if I were a doctor, to come
to him ; if not, at all events to send him some medicine,
to get the bullet out ! My man had proved himself a
perfect fool, for not only had he returned without any
answer to the letters addressed to the Ras, but
his
mule having broken down on the way, he hired a man
to helj) drag it to Chelkar, at which place he had
left it, along with a saddle I had borrowed from Falukka,
the Gondar merchant. In reply to the Dedjatch's re-
quest I sent some antiseptics and a letter, telling him
how to use them ; but for myself there was nothing to
do but wait.
Besides shooting for a few hours every day, I filled
up my time looking after and labelling my trophies,
writing up my journal, and in doctoring the natives,
who, I found, came in ever-increasing
numbers as my
name as a great
"medicine-man" spread, till my little
stock of drugs was being rapidly exhausted,
and I
was reduced to all sorts of expedients in order to
give them something that at all events would do no
harm, and, by the exercise of faith, might even do
good.
It was the hottest season of the year here, the
natives
said
;
and my camp being pitched on the
market-place,
246 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap, xxii
the flies, which were in swarms, spent their time, while
waiting for the next martcet, in attacking me and my
men. In the evenings I had long talks with Falukka,
who often came up for a glass of brandy and a chat.
He told me how the trade with the Soudan had entirely
ceased, since the Dervishes raided all the country round
Gondar. How in Ismail Pacha's time caravans were
constantly passing through here to Metemmeh, which is
only twenty days' easy marching, with water at every
stage and no dangerous rivers to cross. These caravans
would carry coHee, wax, civet, ivory, and gold, and
barter these commodities for cloth, cotton-sheeting, and
manufactured goods of all sorts
;
for in tliose days none
came from the coast. A deaf uncle of Ledj Desster's was
also a frequent visitor to my tent, and a shocking old
beggar to boot. I amused the people very much once,
by telling them that in England we talked to deaf
people on our fingers, instead of seizing them by the
ear, as they were doing to the old man. One day I
secured a photo of one of the parties of beggars who
wander about the country, living on the charitable.
This group consisted of four men and a woman, all
more or less sick and sorry
;
one had stumps for feet,
another was blind, and a third a mass of sores. They
carried their property on three donkeys, and were
provided with all sorts and sizes of empty calabashes
and jars, to carry off contributions of any kind. I
gave them a couple of salts, with which they seemed by-
no means satisfied.
CHAPTER XXIII
News at last
My
messenger's adventuresRobbed and [beatenA
friend
in needEscape by nightForced marchesHis mule dies Tramps
to Adis AbabaReception by MeneHkThe Emperor chastises his
secretary-Triumphant returnThe Emperor's ordersI determine
to startMore obstruction and an insolent messageHow to travel
in comfortTwo oribi in one shot We descend to the Soudan
BeehivesThe
camp at night Elephants feeding in a bamboo-brakeA great day
with tora
My
guide an ex-robber chiefTracking buffalo We
nearly run into a bull elephant asleepA native's idea of elephant-
shooting A fine roan
A night out~ Fears for my safety
A
rescue party.\ monster tusk
Where the Abbai falls into Lake TanaA primitive ferryAn un-
willing host The lake and its islesThe curious course of the Blue
Nile Hippo-hunters and their armsHippos at playA C[ueer bird
Fear of robbersRuined villages A rich country laid waste
In
1736,
Vasous II., who was engaged in building liimself a
palace, welcomed to his capital a party of Christians, who had fled
from a massacre at Smyrna and were on their way to India, but,
missing the monsoon, had landed nearly penniless at Massowah.
Twelve of them were silversmiths, very excellent in that fine work
called fiUigrane. ... By the hands of these and several .\byssinians
whom they had taught, sons of Greek artists, whose fathers were dead,
he finished his presence-chamber in a manner truly admirable. The
skirting, which in our country is generally of wood, was finished with
ivory
4
feet from the ground. Over this were three rows of mirrors
from Venice, all joined together and fixed in frames of copper, or
cornices gilt with gold. The roof, in gaiety and taste, corresponded
perfectly with the magnificent finishing of the rooms ; it was the work
of the Falasha,- and consisted of painted cane, split, and disposed in
Mosaic figures, which produces a gayer effect than it is possible to
'
It was the attention which this emperor paid to the erection and decoration of
this palace that made his subjects christen him Yasous
"
The Little." They were so
disgusted at his devoting all his time to the arts of peace, that some of them com-
posed an elaborate satire (afterwards copied out on vellum), which described his
peaceful journeys to Koscani and Azzazo as though they had been warlike and
triumphant exploits. The sarcasm so enraged the unfortunate monarch, that he
immediately fitted out and started on the disastrous expedition against Sennar which
cost him his life.
-
Thi.s is t!ie name given to the Jews
resident in .-Vbyssinia.
3o8 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chai'.
conceive. This chamber, indeed, was never perfectly finished from a
want of mirrors.
The king had begun another chamber of equal expense, consisting
of plates of ivory with stars of all colours stained in each plate at
proper distances. This too was going to ruin
;
little had been done
in it but the alcove in which he sat.
Bruce goes on to tell us that the palace had already-
been much damaged, and many of the mirrors destroyed
by fire in the time of
Joas (1756-
1769),
before he visited
the capital. On ist May
1771.
in the reign of Tecla
Haymanot II., after the defeat of Ras Michael, the great
Tigr6 general, a band of rebel Gallas burst into the
palace and the presence
-
chamber, where the king,
attended by Bruce, was seated in an alcove. These
barbarous tribesmen, who had never seen a looking-
glass before, enraged apparently at beholding their own
reflection, and possibly attributing it to magic, began
forthwith to slash and demolish the mirrors, without
taking any notice of the king and his companions. The
crash of the falling glass brought a loyal chieftain and
his followers to the spot, who drove the rebels from the
chamber and the palace, but were too late to prevent
the destruction, of which the signs are still apparent
everywhere.
Going round the pepper-bo.\ tower on the west, we
followed
the wall, as it turns at right angles for 60
feet, before again continuing in a higher castellated
form for another 130
feet in a westerly direction, where
the corner of the enclosure is dominated by a larger
round tower. We passed through a doorway in the
anole made by the lower wall with the embattled one,
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINGS
and found ourselves in a large courtyard, the outer wall
of which bore signs of temporary structures having been
built against it. I exainined this wall carefully, but
could see no signs either of l)attlements or of a platform
having existed behind it. The main building itself was
three stories high ; its outer walls jjrcsented some
curious ornaments, probably intended lor the Abys-
sinian cross. The elaborate upper ])ortion of these
figures was cast in a solid piece of terra- cotta raised
work, the sunken surfa.ce of which was covered with
])laster, in order to set the lines in bolder relief. A
circular stone staircase led us to the first tloor, where
the two chief rooms were 66 feet l)y i8, and
24
feet by 18. In many places the floors had fallen in
owing to the beams rotting, and examining them was
rather a risky undertaking. They bore some trace of
having been fired, and one could still see where the
mirrors described by Bruce had been fixed ;
though,
needless to say, no fragment of glass or copper-frames
remained. The south-west corner of the building was
carried up in a square tower, the top of which was
castellated, as were also the main walls
;
behind this
was a second square tower, but with a domed roof; it
was in this that the staircase was placed. A little to
the south-east was a small building in which, my guides
said, prisoners of importance were incarcerated
;
but the
place was in a ruinous slate, and although I climbed
into one of the rooms, 1 could see no evidence of its
having Ix-en used for this jjurpose.
I then went across to a long courtyard, measuring
130
feet by 24,
which lies to the west of Vasous'
3IO A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
palace. On either side were high, narrow buildings,
the flat roofs of which served as platforms between
embattled walls, the outer one to the north being the
main wall before described, and the only portion of it
which I found to agree with Bruce's account already
quoted. The building- on this side had doorways at
irregular intervals facing the courtyard, and was said to
have been used as a storehouse for the Emperor's ivory
and other valuables. The opposite side had been
divided into eight narrow rooms, where the Emperor's
concubines are supposed to have lived. At the west
end was a guard-room with a kitchen next to it, but
the wall at the eastern extremity of the court was in
ruins.
Leaving this building, we made our way southwards,
past numerous piles of masonry, some so much shattered
that their original form could no longer be made out,
while others were still in good repair. Among the
LIONS' DENS
latter were three dens in which the imperial lions used
to be kept. We now approached the oldest and most
striking of all the buildings in Gondar, which is the
castle built by I""asildas in the middle of the seventeenth
century, and described by Bruce as "the king's house."
This castle is two stories in height, and almost square,
the sides measuring
90
feet by
84;
circular -domed
towers protect the corners,' while at the south angle
the main building is carried up in a square, castellated
tower, which dominates the rest to the height of two
stories, and against which the nearest circular tower
rests, as though it were a huge buttress. This tower,
which is of great strength, was probably intended, like
the donjon-keep of a feudal castle, to be the last refuge
of the garrison in cases of emergency. The walls, which
are 6 feet 6 inches thick, are embattled, the centre of
the south-west front and the sejuare tower each having
a stone arch where a bell had been hung, from which
the call to arms must often have rung out. An inclined
plane of masonry, little more than a yard wide, leads
directly from the courtyard to the first tloor, on which
there are three principal rooms, the largest being 60
feet by 18, while the two others are each
42
feet by
18. These are lit by spacious openings, in many
of which the double doors of solid Sankar wood still
remain. The three on the south-west side opened on
to a wooden balcony, which ran the whole width of the
castle, and from which the Emperor used to address his
soldiers and subjects. One of the round towers was
'
iJruCL- makes a curious slip in callini; these coriicr-tuweis si|uare (1st eel. vol.
iii. ).. 380).
312 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
used as a kitchen, while others had been guard-rooms
and prisons
;
all had cow-horns built into the walls, as
pegs on which to hang swords and utensils of all sorts.
The staircase to the roof is in the square tower
;
opposite this, upon the platform, and close to the
southern corner -tower, stands what appears to have
been a small chapel with a vaulted roof, the structure
of which distinctly reminded me of the domes of some
South Indian temples. An outside stair, springing
from the roof reaches half-way up the large tower, the
top of which was gained by a wooden stair, of which
only fragments remain clinging to the wall. The roof
and floors, as in the other buildings, are of concrete laid
on beams, which in places have given way. I could
not see the least grounds for supposing, as Bruce states,
that the building had ever been higher than it is at
present, nor could it have contained a room 120 feet
long, as the whole structure is only
90
feet in length.
These inaccuracies can only be accounted for by a lapse
of memory on the part of the writer, similar to that
which made him describe the round corner-towers as
square, or else he included in his estimate the two upper
stories ot the "donjon," and by the audience-chamber
meant a separate building, which I describe below.
From the terrace on the roof of the castle I had a
splendid view. On the north-west lay the buildings
of the palace of ^'asous, which I had just visited,
and beyond, but further north, the sloping heights
of Debra Tzai, while far in the north
-
east rose
the giant peaks of Siniien. On the south lay in
the immediate foreground the groves and tuculs
THE GREAT CASTLE
of the city, entwined by the two rivers spoken of by
Bruce. Beyond its limits stretched a verdant plain,
along which the eye travelled till on the southern
horizon it caught a glimpse of the silver surface of
Lake Tana.
Behind the
"
king's house
"
to the north-east is
another large building,
54
feet in length by
24
in
YaSOUS the GREAT'S CASTLE.
width ;
it is attributed to Yasous the Great, who
built it for his wife, and presents several remarkable
features. The ceiling of the upper storey, instead of
being flat, as in all the other buildings, is vaulted
with brick ribs filled in with concrete ;
this storey is
approached by an inclined plane of very
shallow steps,
which winils up the outside of a circular tower; a
platform, now fallen, h-d from this tower to another
at the north-west corner of the building, inside
which
a staircase gave access to the roof. The upper lloor
314
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
is divided into two chief rooms, tlie larger of which
is
33
feet long by i8 feet wide. In the walls are
cavities, which I believe served as flues, heated by
fires on the ground floor, for 1 could find no trace of
fireplaces in the principal rooms. To the north-west
of Fasildas's castle are the remains of a great hall,
the entrance arch of which is the largest fragment
NUMEROUS RUINS
one corner has fallen in. Behind the house of Yasous's
Queen, further to the east, were some curious protected
bridges which spanned a lane ; anil still further along
in the same direction lay many other ruins, including
those of a church.
CHAPTER XXVIII
A destitute Arab from] KhartoumA descendant of emperorsA horse's
mausoleumCurious aljsence of wells Canterbi's change of manner
Start for the Soudan An ill-mannered young rulerThe Emperor's
letters treated with disdain
A wounded lioness
at. least so we
thoughtbut he soon undeceived us by springing to
his feet and bolting. I got a hurried shot through the
bamboos, and the guide dashed after him, Ali and I
following. The next thing I saw was the boar charging
down-hill for all he was worth, and the guide running
for dear life. As soon as he caught sight of me,
the beast altered his course and came down the
path, straight as a die. I waited until he was only
15
paces distant, and then fired and knocked him
over. The guide came up panting and pulled out his
knife to cut its throat, but the blade proving blunt he
turned aside to whet it, and while he was doing so, the
boar showed such unmistakable signs of vitality that we
moved off about ten paces up the hill and sat down on
some stones, Hyde and another man joining us. The
pig seemed at its last gasp ; blood was llowing from its
342
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
mouth and from two great holes in its side, and, after a
little, it seemed almost to have ceased to breathe. To
try if it was now really dead, I threw a stone at it, when,
like a llash the beast was up and on me. I sprang to
my feet, rifle in hand, but there was no time to raise the
weapon to the shoulder, so I fired from my hip. The
bullet passed through the brain and the boar fell dead,
its ugly head and gleaming tusks not a foot from my leg.
I brought away the skull and skin, to have set up as a
reminder of the gamest animal I have yet met.
Next day we again had an unsuccessful hunt after
buffalo, for, although we found the herd in the evening, a
mule, which followed in our wake contrary to my orders,
disturbed them, and they bolted. I was so far distant
from camp that I decided to sleep on the trail. Fortu-
nately very little rain fell during the night, but the
mosquitoes were awful. At daybreak I again started
after the buffalo, and four hours later found them under
a tree on an open plain, but once more, while I was
crawling towards them, they suddenly dashed off; they
had again heard my wretched caravan advancing. I
ran to the top of a spur, and was in time to see them
walking slowly through some bush. Full of hope, I had
almost got within shot, when one of my muleteers
shouted to the others that he had found water, and again
off they bolted. I fired a long shot and followed for
some distance, but there were no signs of any of the
beasts having been hit. At eleven o'clock my men
brought us some much-needed food and water, for it was
just thirty hours since we had had a square meal, and
fourteen since a drop of water had passed my lips.
THE EVIL EYE
The next two days we spent tracking the herd back
to the valley in which the first four buffalo had given us
the slip. On the evening of the second day we got
caught in the heaviest thunderstorm I think I have ever
seen. Every dry watercourse was turned into a torrent,
which swept away stones and trees
;
the water stood two
inches deep on the ground, along which the lightning
played continuously, while there was a never-ceasing
rattle of thunder. I feared every moment that one or
other of the rifles would be struck, and had them piled
against one tree, while we vainly endeavoured to shelter
ourselves under another. When the storm abated a
little, we waded back to camp, which we reached long
after dark, our teeth chattering, and our limbs so be-
numbed that we could hardly drag them along. After
getting into a change of clothes and drinking some
hot coffee, 1 had a long talk with my headmen over
what was to be done. It was now twenty-five days
since I had left Gondar, intending to return in fifteen
;
several of the men had fever, and all had been on the
lowest of rations for the last three days, while I managed
to subsistand so far keep wellon a small tin of potted
meat and a little bread. I doubted, however, whether
I could endure much more of this sort of work without
an attack of fever. The Abyssinians attributed all my
ill-luck to the evil eye, which some one had cast on me,
and declared that, try how I might, it was useless
I
could not break the spell ; if I persisted, we should all
lose our lives from fever. It would have been waste
of time to argue with such dolts, so I did not stop to
point out to them that the
"
evil eye
"
was mainly the
A SPORTING TRIP -PHROUGH ABYSSINIA
own folly and disobedience to order's. Eventually I
decided that, while the camp went round to Gallamider
next day, I would have a last try for the buffalo and
rejoin my men by taking a short cut over the hills.
Next morning, after impressing on every one the
necessity of using the greatest caution, we started off to
where we parted from the trail on the previous night.
Here I left my mule, and soon found the spot where the
buffalo had been grazing at the entrance of a narrow
side-valley. Up this we made our way very slowly,
keeping along the opposite slope to the one they had
taken, when I suddenly saw a tree move, as though a
beast were rubbing against it, but the foliage was so
thick that we could see nothing of the cause. However,
I felt certain that we were near the game, so, telling the
guide to follow the track slowly, 1 went on up a steep
bank to the head of the nulla ; but as I saw no signs of
the herd, was about to return, when I heard a crashing
in the valley below me, and, running forward, was just
in time to see two bulls climbing the opposite slope,
300
yards off. I squatted down and fired four shots in quick
succession with the .256,
with the result that one animal
stumbled to the second shot, but recovered itself, and
both dashed down towards the larger valley. Running
round the hill 1 could see only one beast, which was
standing by the junction of the nulla with the main
valley. While I had three shots at it at very long
range, Hyde tore down the hill-side to cut the throat of
the other animal, if haply it had fallen. When I reached
the bottom of the valley I found my syce had deliberately
disobeyed my orders by following us with my mule and
RETURN TO GONDAR
two other men, and that this had caused the beasts to
bolt. More "evil eye"! The wounded animal had
gone into long grass, and had then moved on to a dense
patch of jungle, at one end of which I posted myself,
while my men threw stones into it from the other side,
but without avail, as the beast broke back and got away.
After following the track for some way, we had to give
up, and reached camp at
5.15.
The first news with
which we were greeted was that a mule, which had been
fired two days before, was dying, and that the skull of my
wart-hog had been lost. I sent off two men to look for
the latter at once, although, fortunately, I had removed
all four tusks.
Most of next day I spent in looking to camp-kit and
repairing my clothes. A native shikari brought me a
splendid kudu head, shot near the place where I had killed
the young one, the very day I had left. In the afternoon
two men returned from following the buffalo, which they
said were still going hard. Next morning we climbed
the cliff to the plateau, the mules being driven nearly
mad, and covered with blood, from the attack of a sort of
gadfly, like a faded wasp in colour, whose bite is like a
red-hot needle and draws a fine flow of blood that runs
for some time. When we reached the top, I strolled
along the edge and shot two out of three klipspringers,
which I saw running along a little below me. That night
I was glad enough to have my tent closed and to sleep
under three blankets, instead of tossing about under a
mosquito curtain, as I had been doing for nearly three
weeks.
In two lone marches we reached Gondar once more.
346
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
after an absence of just thirty days. My men, who were
all right, had moved camp to a spot where there was
better grass, and we spent the afternoon in settling down.
I heard that Dedjatch Merrit and the Canterbi had left
Gondar, in fact that all Ras Mangasha's people had been
recalled, to make way for those appointed by the new
Ras who was to succeed him. Next day I had all the
skins out and found many were damaged by beetles
;
1
was especially annoyed to find that some bohor heads,
which Hussein had been ordered to boil, had been put
away with the flesh on, the result of which was that the
beetles had even attacked the softer parts of the horns.
In the evening, a man who had undertaken, after
much persuasion, to try and get me some church paint-
ings and relics, brought several wood-panels and a long
roll of coarse cotton-cloth painted with Biblical subjects.
These things are now extremely difficult to procure, as
sacrilege is severely punished
;
but I had no compunction
in buying these fragments, which, after escaping the
hands of the Dervishes, had been thrust away into dusty
corners, where they were rapidly going to decay. In
this way, besides the panels and several pieces of cloth,
I was able to secure a sacred drum, some old books, a
large brass cross, and a pair of sistrums, besides several
smaller things.
Next morning my Abyssinians turned up in a body
to say that four of their number were sick, and that
they proposed waiting where they were till these had
recovered. I noticed that those who had stayed at
Gondar all the time were the spokesmen, and suspected
that temporary liaisons and tej had more to do with
SERVANTS STIUKE
j47
their decision than concL-rn for their comrades ; howexer,
I answered that, if the men were unable to travel, I
would see what could be done. Later on the Shum, for
whom I had sent, made his appearance ; he said, in
answer to my questions, that he could give me no guide
to Simien, but that if 1 waited till Sundayit was then
Thursdaythe new governor of the town would have
arrived, and no doubt would do all that I required.
Next day, when I was ready to march, the Abyssinians
refused to stir
;
and, after a heated debate, I had to give
in, as without help from the authorities I could get no
other men. On Saturday the new governor arrived, but
did not visit me
;
and I had to send to him three times
before I got the promise of a guide for next day.
348
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
Accordingly, on Sunday morning, as soon as the caravan
was ready to start, I went up myself to ask for the
guide, but, to my surprise the governor, Gerazmatch
Tesumer, refused to see me or to give me any assistance.
As he had come straight from Adis Ababa, and was
perfectly aware of the Emperor's orders, it was evident
the air of Gondar has a most pernicious effect on the
official mind. However, as time did not permit of my
sending another messenger to the capital, I determined
to do without his help
;
so, making the best arrange-
ments I could for three of the sick men who had decided
to stay behind, I started on the journey. The only
person I had succeeded in engaging in their place was a
petty trader named Mongusser, whose chief possessions
were an inordinately long sword and a worn-out white
pony laden with a marvellous collection of odds and ends.
He was confident he knew the road to Adua via Simien,
and, whether he did or not, I had to take his word for
it, as I could get no one else to guide me.
It was long after nine o'clock before we finally got
clear of Gondar. We crossed the steep valley of the
Angrab to the north-east and, looking back, had a fine
view of the ruined castles backed by high mountains.
An hour later we passed over a stone bridge, 12 feet
wide, which spanned a mountain torrent, called the
Modetch, on three well-built arches. This structure was
still in good repair, but the road on either side was the
steepest of rough tracks. Soon after mid-day it began to
rain, and everything was very damp before we found a
suitable camping-ground at 1.30. The local Shum came
to visit me, and informed us that we had now reached
STANT FOR SJMJKA'
the border of the country belonging to the Empress
Taitu, and that the governor, Balambaras Mineywab, had
given orders that every attention was to be shown me in
his territory, practical proof of which was forthcoming
later, in &ni form of a sheep, piles of bread, jars of beer
and milk, eggs, etc.
;
so my men were once more in the
land of plenty and content. Unfortunately this pleasant
state of things did not last long
;
for the next day, after
a short march, the guide wanted me to halt at the chief
village of the next little group, and as I refused he left
us to our own devices, so that for the following four
marches we had to find the way as i^est we could. It
was now so cold in the mornings tliat I could not get
the men to load before sunrise, and as the rain regularly
began about noon, we did not cover much ground in a
day. During these four marches the path lay over
undulating uplands with plenty of good grass
;
yet
comparatively few fiocks and herds were to be seen.
On the second daya Tuesdaywe passed through the
market-place of Dara, just as the people were collecting.
We camped that afternoon near one of the colonies of
rats that I have spoken about, and divided our time
between trying to secure a specimen and examining
the skins, which I found were being much damaged by
the bacon beetle ;
unfortunately, as it rained nearly the
whole of every afternoon, it was impossible to open more
than one or two sacks a day. Two of my men, who had
remained behind on a drinking-bout at Gondar, rejoined
the caravan this evening, and, as we were very short-
handed, I could only venture on a mild rebuke. On the
third day our way lay up a steep rocky valley, beside a
350
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
mountain stream which formed a series of cascades.
Leaving the solitary mountain of Wukkan on our left,
we passed into a more bushy country, in which I got a
couple of duiker and wounded a wolf, the only one I had
seen for a long time. We camped close to a field of
ripe barley, adorned with the most elaborate system of
"scaring" which I have seen in any country. Besides
Processional Crosses, Missal, and Priestly Crutches from Gondar.i :;
the ordinary scarecrows dotted about, there were several
raised platforms, from which, by means of strings sup-
ported on props, the occupant could jiggle long lines
of rags. This sentinel was armed with a sling, as were
likewise a number of boys posted on little mounds
round the edges, so that any bird that was bold enough
to attempt to settle in the field would be within range of
one or other of the watchersin fact, if the barley
had
contained grains of silver, it could hardly have
been
more carefully guarded. On the fourth day, the path
A FINE WATERFALL
lay through large patches of jungle and across several
streams, as we completed the detour necessary to get
round the heads of the Gomier and Amgober streams,
tributaries of the Takazzu, which lower down flow
through deep rocky gorges. The mules were so done
up, that we had to camp on very uneven ground, just
above the spot where the river Amgober makes a
sheer leap of over 300
feet down the face of a precipice.
All round was splendid rock-scenery, and I spent the
afternoon climbing to the various summits and enjoying
the view. A Shum, who was passing down the road,
stopped to visit me, and being much put out to find that
I had no guide, sent off a messenger to the nearest
headman to procure one, and also to inform Balambaras
Mineywab of my approach.
CHAPTER XXXI
A fertile valley and a flight of locustsInchatkab, capital of SimienThe
governor lives at his palace gateAn early call Big ibexSunday
morning
Strange scenery
Sight ibex
An awkward shot
Success
A
splendid trophyA native mealIbex haunts.
The night before eight mules had strayed, and it was
late in the morning before six of them were recovered,
when, without waiting for the remaining two, I climbed
to the path above and continued my journey in a south-
east direction. Away to the S.S.W. rose a pinnacle
of rock strangely like Westminster clock tower. In an
hour I reached the side of the wide and fertile valley of
Balaguz, with many villages, surrounded by cultivated
land, dotted about
;
across the valley, to the south-east,
towered a steep and barren hill, crowned by Inchatkab,
the capital of the province. I n descending the hill-side, we
passed some giant cactus trees and soon after encountered
a flight of locusts
;
at first there was only about one to
every blade of grass, but soon the ground was deeply
covered with them, and the whole sky darkened by their
swarms. We crossed the stream and turned to our left
up the course of a tributarythe Serracum
;
then struck
352
THE COVERSOR ARRIVE
up-hill, past a pretty little village surrounded by green
crops with its church nestling in a fine clump of trees.
The path was bad and very steep, the lower part ex-
tremely hot, as it wound about the face of the hill
;
when
at length I reached the top, at
3.30,
instead of being on
a ridge, which it looked like from beneath, we found
ourselves on the edge of a great plateau. I-'ortunately,
the usual rain held off for another hour, and we were
able to get camp pitched and everything arranged before
it commenced.
No one having come from the Balam-
baras, I sent to ask when I could see him
;
the answer
was brought by a headman, who arrived with a sheep,
bread, beer, and a message to the following effect
:
My
arrival had not been expected so soon, or I should have
been met on the way, that I must be very tired after my
lono- march, and that the chief would visit me on the
morrow,
when I was rested.
We
pitched camp on a level stretch of grass to the
south of the town, which covered the slope of a hill
;
the
latter
was crowned by a stockade which surrounded a
number
of large buildings. I was told that Balambaras
Minyewab, who governed all the country from near
Gondar to the Takazze, besides one half of Walkait, on
behalf of the
Empress Taitu, did not live in this big
enclosure, as he had not yet been promoted to higher
rank on his appointment as governor, but resided in a
small tucul near the foot of the hill, which was pointed
out. The stockade and all its fine buildings were left
empty,
except on feast days, when the Balambaras
entertained
there. At seven next morning, just as I sat
down to breakfast, the governor, with a large following,
356
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
suddenly arrived on the scene without any previous
warning ; I hurried through my meal and had rugs
spread on the ground in front of the tent for his
followers, while the Balambaras occupied a chair just
in the doorway. He was rather a fine-looking old man,
tall, with good features and a neatly trimmed white
beard. After the usual compliments and the reading of
the Emperor's letter by one of his suite, 1 inquired if
there was a road that would take me quickly down to
Walkait, where I had heard that buffalo and giraffe were
to be found. He replied that it was a bad time of
year to go, because of the fever, and that, as in sixteen
days or less the Takazze would be impassable for three
or four months, I should not have time to go and return.
I then asked about the laa/a, which he said were to be
found only one day's march from Inchatkab
;
adding that
their horns were two to three arms long, and much sought
after for the purpose of making into tumblers. As in
Abyssinia an arm means the length from the elbow to
the tip of the middle finger, or about iS inches, this
equals from three to four and a half feet. I opened a
bottle of champagne, but it was evidently an unknown
drink to the governor, who seemed very suspicious of it,
and after merely sipping its contents, passed on the
tumbler to his followers, who were nearly as distrustful.
I showed my rifles and Ward's book, in both of
which he merely took a polite interest. It was settled
that I should rest here this day
the mules being
much done up, and having to make a long march on
the morrow. \Ye had no rain all day, so that I was
able to have every skin
unpacked for examination,
,JAXT LOBELIAS
when 1 was glad to find there were fewer beetles than
before.
The two mules which had been left behind were
brought in, and I had a busy time generally, inspecting
and rearranging
camp-kit and loads.
Next morningSunday, 24th June
I got the caravan
away at
7.30,
and went over to the new church, where
the governor antl a large
suite met me. I took several
photos, many of the people
carefully covering their mouths
as a precaution against evil.
The Balambaras
accompanied
me for some little distance
and then took leave ; I com-
mended to his care three ot
my men who were sick, and
gave him as a present various
small articles forwhich I heard
q,^^^ ^ ,. ,.
he had e.xpressed a wish.
We steadily ascended till
12.45,
'I '-'"l^'
^^'"'"^^
blowing
in our faces. Below us, on our left, lay the Serracum
valle\-, the head of which was our immediate goal. The
ground over which we passed was covered with short
coarse grass and dotted with most curious trees, the like
of which I have seen nowhere else. The natives call
them Gibarrar, and the species has been identified from
my photographs by Dr. Maxwell Masters as Lobelia
rhyncJiopclaliuu, a giant member of a genus in which the
species are usually small, and one hitherto but little known.
It has the appearance of a dwarf pair with a stem from
35S A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
chap.
four to six feet high and crowned by a bunch of leaves,
from the centre of which the seed-cone grows in a long
spike sometimes as much as
5
feet in height. When this
spike has ripened, numbers of birds may be seen plucking
out the seed, and the tree gradually decays and dies,
seedlings soon springing up around the place. If the
stem or leaves are cut, a thick, white, sticky fluid exudes,
which is used by the priests for writing charms to ward
off the evil eye. The dead trunks are almost useless
for fuel, as, when dry, only a thin bark and a little fibre
remain. Plants in every stage of growth may be seen at
all seasons. The natives gravely informed me that this
tree invariably gave headaches to strangers who saw it
for the first time, although it had no effect on the in-
habitants a popular explanation of the effect of the
high elevation and rarefied air on a man coming from
a lower level. A few days later, when I was photo-
graphing some ibex heads, I slashed off the top of
a short gibarrar, and was surprised at the evident dis-
pleasure of a native standing by. Thinking the juice
might be poisonous, I questioned him through the
interpreter, and learnt that they believe each tree to
be the abode of an evil spirit, who has been cast out
of a human being; that he will do no harm so long
as the tree is left uninjured ; but, if his retreat
be assailed, the spirit will revenge himself by once
more taking possession of a human being, and most
likely the perpetrator of the outrage or some one
dear to him.
For an hour we marched over fairly level ground,
passing round the head of the Serracum. To our right
XXXI COLD \VL\D
359
lay a great expanse of rock and valley half hidden in
cloud : from this blew an icy blast, which seemed to
cut throuL^di my khaki clothing; liki' a knife. The
uround was thickly strewn with locusts, which had tried
ED Baboon.
to cross and had perished by the coUl. The Somalis
were ashy-blue with cold, every one was shivering, and
even the mules could only with difficulty be made to
face the freezing wind. Fortunately, we soon began to
descend by a steep but fairly good track, with a wall of
ragged cliffs on our left, and an appar<mtly
liottomless
pit filled with clouds on our right. In a lililr grassy
36o A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
bay, between sheer cliffs, we came upon a troop of
nearly three hundred baboons
;
they were busily tearing
up and eating the grass or something that grew amongst
it. At first they paid but little attention to us, merely
moving a little higher up, but when they saw me begin
to climb towards them, there was great commotion, and
all took to the rocks. I had a good opportunity of
noticing the despotic way in which the old males rule the
others : I saw one old fellow seize an apparently un-
offending youngster, cuff it violently, and then deliber-
ately chuck it over the cliff. As I approached, the whole
troop began to move across the face of the cliff; at one
place there was a gap in the ledge they were following,
and while each individual scrambled slowly across, I
picked off two of the largest males with splendid coats,
but unfortunately in their fall the skulls of both were
smashed to fragments. When we began to descend, we
found ourselves enveloped in thick clouds, and very nearly
missed the tiny patch of level ground where the tents
had been pitched, among which the mules were being
kept huddled together for fear of losing them in the mist.
After a long delay, strange noises came through the
clouds below us, and slowly a straggling line of odd-
looking figures, half-clad in shaggy skins, with ex-
aggerated night-caps on their heads, but with bare legs
and feet, appeared as it were from the depths of the earth,
bearing logs of wood, some bread, milk, and barley. The
natives of Simien during the colder months wear one or
two goat-skins across their shoulders, and a cap made of
the same anim.il's hair, woven in patterns similar to those
the Baltis in Little Tibet use for their sleeping mats
;
iEARC/f FOA' iniiX
but throughout the year they go bare-legged and unshod,
even when snow lies on the ground.
The guide rtjported thai the heathiian ol" the village
was away, but he had "collected" these things in the
meantime, ami that the Shiini would arrive the first thing
in the morning to hear my commands. I was up as soon
as it was light next da\-, and found we were camped on
one side of an amphitheatre of hills. Opposite were
the Huiheat mountains, with a great wall of broken
cliffs, as it were a girdle drawn tightly njund them and
kept in place by knife-edged ridges running down to the
valley below, in which lay the scattered village of Lourre
amid its cultivated ground. Away to the north, where
the clifis ended, was one of those vast fields of fantastic
rock-scenery to be seen nowhere but in Abyssinia
;
one might imagine oneself to be gazing on the play-
ground of a race of giants, who had vied with each
other in setting up as many huge buildings of every
sort, as close together as possible, and had then run off
and left the lot unfinished. Minarets and domes, castles
and cathedrals, sphin.xes, obelisks, and pyramids, all
seemed to be there in endless profusion small wonder
the old writers more than half believed Simien was an
enchanted land ! Behind us lay a steep grassy valley
sloping ilownward to join a larger one at the foot of
Ras Detjem, a great sugar-loaf hill in the far distance.
Breakfast done, and no headman having appeared, I sent
the guide off to the village to look for him, while I
searched the foot of the clifis opposite with the telescope,
in the hope of seeing a herd of the wala I had come so
tar to shoot. After a good hour had ijone bv, the guide
362 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA ciiak
returned accompanied by the Shum and a train of
villagers bringing a sheep and some other presents. He
said he had received a letter from the governor, ordering
him to show me wala, but that there were very few now,
and he could not promise that we should see any ; he
then asked if I was going in boots, and, on my answering
him that such was my intention, he seemed to expect
my return on a shutter, or whatever may be the local
equivalent for that article.
At last we started, two villagers leading the way,
followed by my two Somali shikaris, shivering in all the
clothes they could wind round them, and myself, clad in
one khaki suit over another. Having been told that
taking a mule was quite useless, we walked back nearly
two miles along the road down which we had stumbled
the previous day
;
then, while we turned off to skirt the
base of the cliffs, two men went to the top with the idea
of driving down any ibex they might see. The wiry
grass which grew in tufts gave good foot- and hand-hold,
and I had no difficulty in following the guide, who led us
along the steep sloping ground below the main line of
cliffs. By a little stream of water he pointed out some
tracks and said,
"
Wala," but Ali and myself agreed that
they looked more like klipspringer than anything else
;
and this conjecture proved correct, for one of those
antelopes appeared soon after, perched on a rock above
us, and uttering its cry of alarm. We climbed round the
next shoulder and sat down to search the ground
;
Ali,
who was a little ahead of me, said,
"
More klipspringer,"
and directly after
"
No ! goats !
"
I crawled over to him at
once and caught sight of three ibex, a fair-sized male
IJIEX SICHTEI)
363
with horns about
35
inches, and a smaller male and
female; llu-y were about
400
yards off, moving up through
some thin scrul) and watching the ground below them.
Ali at Hrst said there were four, and that one had lain
down ; however, as he could not point out the place or
find the animal again with the glasses, I doubted the state-
ment. The three ibex in sight kept working up and
Mount Buiheat, the Home of the Ibex.
away from us, the larger male and female going over a
ridge, while we lost sight of the third altogether. We
started to follow them, and had gone some distance when
Ali stopped me, saying he had found the big one which he
had first seen
;
and, after some little time, I made him out
quite 180 yards off, lying in deep shadow under an over-
hanging rock, and half concealed by a bush which grew
in front. It was an awkward place to get at; in fact I
could see no point that commanded it, except the one we
were on
;
and as the creature had his head turned our
364
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
way, and, by the movement of the one horn we could see,
was evidently very much awake, I feared his "spotting"
us at any moment. Taking a rest on a tuft of grass, I
got the telescope-sight to bear on the spot which I
calculated I must aim at in order to reach his heart, and
IRST Ibex fel
waiting till he moved his head, and consequently the
horn, out of the way, I pressed the trigger. He got up
and moved slowly out ! Had the shot missed him or
was he badly wounded ? Another shot, as he moved
into a dense clump of undergrowth, seemed to strike
home, but two others fired into the bush failed to produce
any visible effect. I turned to question AH and found
THE FIRST IHEX
365
him fumbling with the focus (like all Sonialis he is (juite
useless with the glasses). How I wished I had my
Kashmiri, Satara, by my side ! No nee-d to have
questioned him, lor. as I fired each shot, I should have
heard its billet hissetl out beside me.
Just then a female
ibe.x dashed away, and my ne.xt concern was to prevent
the guide tearing off to see if the beast was dead, and, if
so, to slash its ears and throat. By the time this little
niatttn- was settled, ever\- one had lost sight of the place
in which the ibe.\ lay, ami, try as I would, I could not
pick it up again, till the animal moved out on a little patch
of grass. It did not need a second glance to tell that he
was badly hit, for a great blood-stain showed on his side,
as he staggered forward and lay down on the edge of a
rock some 20 feet high. Presently he lost his balance
and rolled over, but with a great effort regained his feet
and stood for a minute, then pitched forward and fell
headlong down out of sight. The noise of falling stones
and breaking sticks was succeeded by a dull thud, and a
chorus of different tongues murmured the words "horns
broken." My memory pictured a black day in
1898 at
Braldo, in Baltistan, when the largest ibe.x I had ever
shot rolled over in a similar manner, and all we gathered
were a few fragments of horn and some bits of bone.
We set off to scramble down, and found him lying in a
watercourse with his horns apparently uninjured ; but a
thirty-foot cliff barred our near approach, and we could
not be certain. At last we found a way down and were
able to admire our prize, and indeed it was one worthy of
all the long journey and delays I had suffered. The upper
part of his thick coat looked at a little distance almost
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
black in the shade, while in the sun it appeared a deep
chestnut colour
;
this gradually merged into silver grey
at the side, which in turn was separated from the white
of the belly by a brown line. The chestnut-coloured
head marked with grey was strikingly noticeable from
the great frontal lump, which distinguishes it from all
other species of ibex, and was in keeping with the
massiveness of the long sweeping horns, over
3^
feet
longr and more than 1 1 inches in circumference, which
SiMiEN Caps and a Money Bag.
ludcily had escaped all injury. When the work of photo-
graphing, measuring, skinning, and weighing was over,
we all had a rest, the Abyssinians falling to on a few
choice bits of still warm tripe and flesh. I found three
of the four shots had struck the ibex
;
the first, just
missing the heart by the left, had gone through him,
broken up on the rock and cut the skin with the frag-
ments.
We had a long climb back to the path above, which
ran close to the cliff, and was partly sheltered by
the debris falling from above and forming a bank at
some little distance from its face. The ibex appeared
XXXI HAUNTS OF THE IBEX 367
to regularly use these partly concealed runs in moving
from one part of their ground to another, and where an
overhanging rock gives more space they lie up in the
middle of the day. Several times we came on the
remains of fires and bones, with beds of grass beside
them, where the natives had lain concealed to get a
shot at the wala, as they moved from place to jjlace or
came to drink. The men who had been along the
top of the cliffs reported having seen ibex, which had
bolted in the opposite direction. I reached camp at
five o'clock, well pleased at having been so successful the
first day, and half wondering to how many heads I
should limit m\-self
CHAPTER XXXII
A useless shotA red-letter da)' with ibexFind the herdPlan the
stalk
A
worthless guideI take the lead A difficult bit The crawl
upA splendid sight The clouds shut downAn anxious waitThe
shotFour rolled overRain, sleet, and hailMen refuse to move
Try fresh
groundDescent from SimienA terrible roadSplendid scenery.
An excited ShCmi.
Next morning I was ready early, but had to wait for
a mule to be brought up from the valley, where I had
sent all the beasts and the men not actually wanted, as
it was a good deal more sheltered than our camping-place.
I rode back along the path for an hour, with my hunters,
and, leaving the mule, turned to the right along the top
of the cliffs, where we met a caravan and saw the men
of another amusing themselves by rolling stones over
the edge in the hope of starting a herd of ibex
;
this, I
learnt was a common custom, as the cliffs were too high
to shoot from. With the aid of the glasses we soon
discovered two bucks with good heads, and, in order to
get to their grazing-ground, we followed the edge of the
cliffs, in the hope of finding a path down, but could see
no way possible, nor did the guide know of any, except
the one I had been along yesterday, which branched
off from where I had left the mule. For some time I
36S
CHAP. XXXII
A HERD OF /BEX
369
lay on a spur of rock which commanded a good view of
the valley, but, faiHng to see any game, I began to work
back, and at length discovered a herd of fifteen does and
a good-sized buck feeding in a narrow dell below.
After a little while 1 also made out the larger of the two
we had seen in the morning, and as there appeared to be
no possible means of approach, tried a long shot, which
did no damage except scattering the herd. Immediately
after this the clouds rolled up, blotting out the valley,
and enveloping us in mist. The march back to camp
against a cutting wind and driving sleet lasted two hours,
and made my Somalis shake with cold. Ne.xt morning
the hill-tops were white with snow, and the lowering
clouds still clung to them, when I began searching
yesterday's ground with the telescope, and soon found
the herd in the valley ne.xt to the one where I had fired.
After a while the Shum and his followers came ujj, and
I questioned them about the place they had told me of
as being a short day's march from here towards Adua,
and where, they alleged, there were many more wala.
To my surprise they now denied all knowledge of the
ground, declaring that the villagers there would not obev
this headman, that their own Shum was absent, that the
place had been lately driven with a lot of dogs for a big
Shum, who had shot all the wala, and, in fact, that the
only available sporting ground was the one which I had
been over. .So I scribbled a note to the Balambaras,
desiring him to send fresh orders, which being despatched
we (the guide, Ali, Hyde, and myself) started down a
fairly good path, passing numerous flocks of sheep and
goats just releasetl from their pens, which are merely
2 B
370
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
natural caves with the mouths walled up by means of
stones and wattles. We crossed the foot of the valley
in which the ibex were grazing and began to work up the
slope on the far side. Scattered clouds kept blowing about
and impeding the view, and altogether it was anything but
an ideal day for ibex stalking. Once, as a cloud rolled
suddenly aside, I found the guide was taking us up In
full view of the herd
;
after this we changed places, and
I took the lead. A dip down and a scramble over bad
ground brought us higher up the slope, which much
resembled the edge of a saw, sheer rocks representing
the jag of the teeth, while the steep shelving ground,
covered with coarse grass, giant lobelias, and patches of
bush, took the places of the slant. Four villagers had
followed us in the hopes of coming in for a share of the
spoil, in the shape of meat, but these I ordered to stay
behind near a ruined hut, while we four worked our way
up to a pile of massive rocks, from which I hoped to see
the ibex ; in this, however, I was disappointed, for the
clouds proved too thick. Here, for a time we came to a
deadlock, being unable to make our way beyond the
bluff; first we tried a narrow ledge of rock on the right,
but found that it ended abruptly in a precipice, and when
we turned back with difficulty to try the left side, the
clouds all at once lifted and disclosed the herd, lying in
full view under a rock about 400
yards off. The sulky
guide could or would give no help, so, trusting to our
own acumen, we tried another line, and, first working
downwards, after several futile attempts reached a
higher tooth of the saw, where Hyde and the native
were told to wait.
I/iEXSTALKING
371
Ali and I now niadc' our way round the cliff by an
ibex-run. and undrr cover ol the clouds got safely into
the bed of a small rift. Working up this very slowly
and carefullv, so as not to dislodoe the loose stones, we
My Favourite Shooting Position.
crawled round the base of a bluff to the neck of a small
projecting plateau. Here we paused to take breath, and
as I peeped over the side the clouds lifted a little, and
to my joy I saw the herd all lying close together on a
ledge some
70
yards off and slightly below us. A moment
later the clouds shut down again, and I got into my
372
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
favourite shooting position, sitting, elbows resting inside
knees, and a stick grasped between thumb and barrel
What an age it seemed, waiting in that murky gloom !
Every moment I expected to hear a cry of alarm and
the rattle of descending stones, as the herd dashed off,
and all chance of a shot was lost. Once it grew bright
enough to make out shadowy forms, next the wind
seemed to blow right in their direction, and I made sure
they must scent us, but fortune favoured us : the clouds,
cleared away, and I saw the largest male standing stern
to us. There was no time to lose, so, aiming rather far
back, I fired, and saw his legs collapse under him, as he
slid partly off the ledge, stone-dead. As the others
dashed down past us, I hurriedly fired two shots at the
second male, and then tore my way through some under-
wood to the edge of the little plateau. At first we could
see nothing, then a i&w ibex appeared, following one of
their runs close to a cliff" below our right, among them
the second large male, at which I got a shot before the
next rocky shoulder hid them from view. We then saw
three females far below us, bolting in the opposite-
direction
;
a shot fired at them found no billet, but a
fourth doe, as she followed the others, stood looking
down long enough for a bullet to reach her and send her
crashing through the scrub. By this time, the others to
our right were in view again, but at long range
;
Ali
said, "A buck leads," and I tried a shot and was just
taking aim at another which was slowly bringing up the
rear, when it lay down. A hurried shot, as the last
female rounded the far corner, and she also rolled down
the slope. We went up and measured the big buck, and
^1 .)//SS/,VO /HEX
373
then, leaving Hyde to skin it, went on to the second,
which we found quite dead.
Meanwhile, the other men had failed to discover the
doe which fell first, so AH went to help them, while I
looked after the skinning and weighing
;
by this time
rain was falling in torrents, with occasional bursts of hail
and sleet as a change. As soon as Hyde joined me
with the head of the large buck, I started off to look for
the second female
;
the track it had made as it rolled
down was plain enough, and this we followed till it came
to the edge of a precipice. After failing to find a road
down we returned to where the second buck had fallen,
and found all the men sheltering under the ledge of a
rock, where they proposed to spend the night. My
clothes were dripping, my teeth chattering, so, catching
hold of one of the menfor talking had no effect what-
everI told him to lead me down to camp. He started
oft" to the plact; where we had already proved there was no
path, so I took the lead myself, struck off down the hill-
side, and in an hour found a track which led us round
the hills and up to camp, where we arrived at
7.30.
The final climb up-hill with an icy wind blowing in our
faces tried me very much, after the month spent in the
steaming Soudan ; however, some hot soup and a roaring
fire soon revived me, though I burnt the foot off one
sock without feeling any warmth in my toes.
Early next morning the men arrived safely, with the
three ibex-heads ; they had wisely moved down to one
of the caves used as sheep-pens, and there spent the
night. After photographing the heads, I started off to
look for the second female, but although I searched the
374
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap, xxxii
ground thoroughly, not a sign of her was to be found,
after the track ceased at the edge of the chff. A crowd
of villagers, who were sitting gorging themselves with
raw and half-cooked meat, offered no other help than
advising me to return to camp. On the way back, a
cuberow showed, but I missed it, which was vexing, for
it proved the only one I saw in Simien. Much heavy
rain fell in the evening and at night, so that next
morning the peaks were thick in snow, which reached
almost to our camp. I decided to search the slopes of
Ras Detjem, the camp being moved down some way
to meet me on my return, while Ali was to have a last
look for the missing ibex. It was a cloudy, cold day,
with sleet-squalls every now and then
;
and, beyond a
few old tracks, all we saw was a big troop of baboons.
In the evening, round a roaring fire, Ali told me of his
unsuccessful search, and the Shum protested both his
anxiety to help me, and his absolute ignorance of any
other ibex-ground, assertions which I knew to be equally
false. The following morning, I sent off the messenger
from the Balambaras and one of my men to interview
the villagers all round, and offer a reward for any in-
formation about other herds of wala, while I went back
to the old ground
;
but the clouds were so dense that we
only got occasional glimpses of it from above, and,
except a family party of three klipspringers and a solitary
monkey, saw nothing.
Sunday, \st
July.
As yesterday's messengers had
returned with no news, and there apparently was nothing
left on Buiheat but one small buckbeing, moreover,
unable to discover any other ground, and the Takazze
CHAP. XXXII A TERRIBLE ROAD
377
likely from all accounts to be soon impassable, I decided
to move down to the Attabar valley. The path was one
of the most villainous I have ever tried to take beasts
along, the greater part of the road lying in the bed of a
stream strewn with steep and slippery rocks, whc;re
the mules kept falling and loads getting astray. At
one place the way led through a pool, between the
foot of one and the head of another waterfall, where, in
my endeavours to keep a donkey from being washed off
its legs and down the fall, I lost a cape. The scenery,
during this toilsome marchwhen I had time to turn
and glance at it was one which for stern and rugged
grandeur I have never seen surpassed. We were
wending our way down a deep valley bounded on either
side by a seemingly endless range of dark basaltic rocks,
whose craggy, snow-crowned summits were half hidden
in the clouds. As we descended further, the cliffs
gradually became less steep and bare : grasses and shrubs,
finding some soil to root in, began to clothe the hill-side
with verdure, while the streams gathered volume from
tributary rills, till they became foaming torrents, which
rushed down the mountain side in a succession of
cataracts and rapids.
We camped on the first level bit of ground we came
to, just before heavy rain began. I found, on examina-
tion, that the ibex-skins had hardly dried at all owing to
the continual cloud and mist we had lived in, so, to save
them. I took them into my tent, the atmosphere of which
liy morning I leave to be imagined by any one who
knows the smell of fresh wild-goat skins. Next day
we descended through luxurious vegetation of almost
37S A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
tropical growth, having to force a way for the laden
mules along the narrow path by the river-side, a path
overgrown with bush and blocked by dead tree-trunks,
which a network of creepers often kept suspended in mid-
air. Big- cactus trees, orchids, and ferns grew everywhere
in profusion. Before we reached the borders of the
cultivated ground, after two and a half hours' march, we
saw a big troop of grey-haired monkeys travelling along
the opposite bank, at which I tried, though unsuccess-
fully, to get a shot. The villagers had been anxious for
us to halt as soon as we reached the first hamlet
I
think in order to report my arrivalbut I kept on for
another half-hour, and then camped on a bit of level
ground below the terraced village of Abbinar, where the
barley was six inches high, while at Lurey they were
only just beginning to plough the land. Soon four head-
men gathered round me, full of talk, and bringing various
Ajv excited SHUM
379
presents : I went through the usual routing', L,nvinu; them
an egg-cupful of rum each, showing them my rilles,
etc. It kept fine till four o'clock, and \vc were able to
sun all the loads, and get the raw skins partly dry.
While thus occupied, we were provided with much
amusement by an old Shum, who worked himself up
into a frantic state of e.xcitement over the refusal of
some villagers to obey his orders to bake bread for the
stranger. The rum, added to tej, had gone to his head,
and, as he waved about an ancient rifle, while beating
his breast with his other hand, tearing his hair and
showering curses on the heads of his rebellious subjects,
he looked as mad a figure as one could wish to see. I
should dearly like to have secured a photo of him in his
tantrums, but feared that it might turn his wrath in my
direction. At last they quieted him down and, acting on
my advice, took him to bed, which was clearly the best
place for him.
Male and Female Ibex-Skulls,
CHAPTER XXXIII
A local chiefA somewhat cool requestWe cross the TakazzeOur
guide deserts usLose our wayA Tigre chief and his villageThe
Khalifo's letter-bearerA buried church and its legendA fever-
haunted, lonely valleyRuined villages.
For three hours next day we continued our march down
the valley, the vegetation, strange to say, gradually get-
ting more and more scanty, and the hill-sides looking bare
and parched. We passed many villages, with cultivated
terraces rising high above them, but saw even more
deserted sites, the result, we were told, of so many of
the inhabitants being killed in the war with the Italians.
Camp was pitched at Attover, a little plateau by a side-
valley, which, I learnt, was the furthest point on this
side to which the Italians had penetrated before the
war. In the afternoon Dedjatch Zerefer, the local
governor, came to visit me, with a following of some
thirty men.
Just
as he arrived, a storm burst, and,
while I sheltered the Dedjatch and one or two of his
chief men, the others sought cover in the servants' tents.
After the usual compliments and drinks, he presented
me with a sheep, tej, eggs, and bread, which had been
carried down from his village. I then tried to get some
CHAP. XXXIII
A COOL REQUEST
381
definite information about the extent of the ibex-ground,
but found it most difficult to extract from them anything
save the vaguest answers, every one in Simien appearing
for some reasonmost reluctant to tell me exactly
where the wala were to be found. After much wander-
ing from the point, I gathered that Talumph, Hi, and
Cherasse were the favourite hunting-grounds, that
there would now be three months' heavy rain and
snow, during which they considered getting
-
about
impossible, but that when the weather cleared up they
would have great ibex-hunts.
While showing the governor my rifles, I was
disgusted to find the stock of the .400 snapped short
off, the result of our rough march two days ago. The
governor stayed for three hours, and it w^as evident
his visit had some special object in view, though I
could not get at its nature. At last he left, to put up
in the village, saying he would see me in the morning.
Before 6 a.m. he appeared again, and, after much beating
about the bush, said an Englishman had presented
him with a field-glass twelve years before, but that one
eye-piece was broken, and as I was now going home
and could easily get another, would I exchange the glass
for mine } As the one was absolutely useless, and the
other a first-rate Zeiss, I did not see it in the same light,
and told him so : however, we parted the best of friends.
I gave him various little things he wanted, and
i)ro-
mised to send a field-glass one of these days, while
he presented me with a pair of wala horns and offered
me lots of shooting, if I should come again.
It was market-dav, and on our march we met crowds
382 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
of people coming to attend it, besides strings of donkeys
carrying bars of salt. Each load consisted of sixty to
seventy Amole, packed in three layers, with cotton-
sheeting between. For hours we marched down-stream,
till we reached the point where the path known as
the Amhalaney road leaves the Attabar valley, when,
crossing the river, we pitched camp. The cliffs close to
the river were yellowish red sandstone, while the main
hills of the valley consisted of grey basaltic rock. Next
morning, just after some of the mules had started, the
men sent word back to me that a big troop of the grey-
haired monkeys was close by. I at once pushed on
ahead, and found some two hundred of them feeding on
the hill-side. Singling out a large male, I pressed the
trigger
;
but the cartridge missed fire, and I found the
bolt had stuck. Naturally, by the time it was clear,
the troop had departed. When I e.xamined the gun, the
striker proved to be a mass of rust, the result of the
continual wet combined with the laziness of my Somalis.
After scraping it clean, we followed the troop, but with
no success.
We passed one large stretch of cultivated ground,
and then crossed two valleys into that of the Mader,
which we followed down to the Takazze, a red mud-
coloured stream some 60 yards wide, the water of
which came half-way up the saddle-flaps. The valley
was not so confined as I had been led to expect, and
there seemed no immediate prospect of the river be-
coming impassable
;
nor were there any crocodiles to be
seen, although we had been assured they swarmed here-
abouts. The tents were pitched under the shade of
XXXI II GUIDE DESERTS
383
some trees, at the mouth of a wide, sandy valley, which
seemed very hot after Simien ; and it appeared to have
received little rain so far, since hardly any new grass
was to be found for the beasts.
Next day we decided to rest the mules, after their
long march. I went up-stream a little, but only saw a
few hippo-tracks on shore, and three crocodiles in the
river, which latter had fallen quite
3
feet since the
previous day. In the afternoon I took some photos,
and spent the time looking over the skins and camp-kit.
We effected an early start next morning, and were
soon over a ridge and descending a long, waterless
valley, across the foot of which flows the Ghiva, a
stream 20 yards across and knee-deep
;
this is said
never to run dry. Here the guide wanted us to camp,
but as we had only done two and a half hours' march,
I refused, and, after much talk, he went off, saying, that
as we did not take his advice, we might shift for
ourselves. This we did, and, climbing the ridge on
the opposite side of the river by a very bad path,
reached a highly cultivated plateau, where, having now
marched a total of four and a half hours, we halted
under a fine Wanza tree. The rain began at
4.30,
which seems the regulation time at this season, east of
Simien. The villagers brought us some bread and
milk, but although I gave them drinks and a present,
and showed them my letters, and although Adarar
wasted many honeyed words on them, they absolutely
refused to provide a guide for the morrow. So our
next march was rather a haphazard one, various country-
men givino- us different directions, evidentlv with a view
384
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
to keep us as far from their particular villages as possible.
We were now skirting the base of Ambara, one of
the solitary, flat-topped mountains formerly used as
prisons for political offenders, and such' as the ruler
for the time being thought it bestfor his and their
country's goodto keep in safe custody. We marched
for four and a half hours, passing many villages
separated by broad belts of thick thorn-jungle, but not a
duiker or any other sort of beast did we see
;
in fact,
since we left Simien, the two troops of monkeys and
the three crocodiles were the only "game" we met.
Next morning, a little over three hours brought us
to the picturesque red sandstone hills on which Abbi
Addi, the capital of Tembien, is situated. Then I knew
that we had come far out of our way to the south
of Adua, our destination.
Just behind camp was an
irregular line of red cliffs, their face broken by a number
of caves ;
and near them stood the ruins of a church,
which the Mohammedan inhabitants of the villages round
had asked Menelik's leave to dismantle, as its presence
was obno.\ious to them. On this day, a thunderstorm
burst over us before the usual time, and the tent-pegs
tlew from the sandy soil in every direction, all of us
getting wet before the flapping canvas could be secured.
As soon as the weather cleared, I received the visit of
Kanyazmatch Gubberu, the acting ruler of Tembien
during the absence of his superior, who had gone to
meet the new governor of Tigre. He was a native of
Tigre, a man of fine olive complexion and clear-cut,
intelligent features, but with a mouth suggestive of
temper. At the outset he was evidently distrustful of
A TIGRE CHIEF 383
me aiul my intiMitions ; llic Ivmixjror's
IcUcrs, however,
seemed to reussure him ;i Utile-, and lie gradually became
more civil, though my coming without a guide still
excited his suspicions, as was evidenced by his frequent
references to the fact. A small brother of his, who
accompanied him, seemed a very sharp youth, and con-
stantly put in a few words of advice. They both
handled my rilles in a business-like way, and their
questions were to the point. After they had left, a man
of the name of Abdar Hamman came to see me, and
we had a long talk, in the course of which he gave me
much interesting information. Among other things, he
told me that he was a native of this place, and had
been made a prisoner by the Dervishes and carried to
Khartoum thirteen years ago. There he had gained
the confidence of the Khalifa, and was sent by him with
letters to Menelik, who received him and his followers
well, and gave them mules and a tent for their return
journey. After the fall of Omdurman, he had apparently
proved useful to our intelligence officers, and, when
things had quieted down, he set out for his own country,
but had twice to abandon the journey through sickness.
That evening, a present of fowls and eggs, bread
and milk, limes and
"
turengo " (shaddock), a fruit I
had not seen previously in Abyssinia, in addition to
bundles of fuel, arrived from the Kanyazmatch. He
also came to see us oft ne.xt morning, and said it was
only a short march to the foot of the Sabandas range,
where the guide he was sending with me would be
relieved by another. After some persuasion. I got them
to sit for a group ;
but it was evident they did not like
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
the proceeding. A priest, who accompanied them, pro-
tected himself with my field-glasses on the principle
of devil fight devil, I supposewhile the other chief men
carefully covered their mouths and nostrils with their
shammas.
In less than an hour we reached Mariam Izzeto,
Group of Tigreans.
where 1 was informed another guide would be found.
While waiting for the latter, I examined a small dome-
shaped sandstone hill, in which my men seemed to be
taking a great interest. They told me the tradition
was that the hill enclosed a magnificent church, to which
once upon a time a great lady came on a pilgrimage.
The people began to prepare a feast for her inside the
church, when St. Mary appeared and forbade them, as
it was not a feast day.
Just
then the great lady
arrived at the church door and ordered the feast to
be carried inside, she and all her retinue following
;
immediately St. Mary caused a great slab of stone to fall
and close the entrance, and there it is to this day. A
xxxin A LEGEND 387
natural stone archway, with a perfectly smooth stone
backing it, on which a cross has been roughly cut, and
which appears to bar an entrance into the hill, attests
the truth of the story to the native mind, which is not
prone to scepticism. The scoffer would probably remark
that here, as in so many other places, the
physical phe-
nomenon was the cause, and the legend which accounts
for it the effect.
After nearly an hour's delay the old guide returned
and said that all the men were away at work in the
fields, so we moved on a little to where a group of them
were hoeing, but they refused to find a guide and advised
us to turn back and camp. I proposed going on, but
the guide said: "If you do, you will be outside the
district, and we shall be powerless to get another guide."
So I gave orders to camp where we were, among the
fields. This, however, did not suit them at all, and two
or three ran off to find the Shiim
;
meanwhile some of
the mules strayed into the barley and thus precipitated
matters. The Shvim arrived, and there was a terrible
row, the guides, with most emphatic oaths, handing me
over to his care, and he, in still more forcible language,
refusing to have anything to do with me. At last,
getting weary of this wrangling, we moved on for
another three-quarters of an hour, and pitched camp
between the Sadnampar and Sabandas hills, where the
guides left us, declaring that their duty was at an end.
Next morning, we started in a drizzling rain, the
villagers, after first refusing all help, finally providing a
couple of guides, who letl us in one and a half hours to
a well-worn path, which they said was the Xegus's road
38S A SPORTL\'G TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
to Adua. Here they left us to our own devices. In
two hours more we had reached the top of the ridge
and began to descend into the valley of the Gedgudda
through thick bush and luxuriant grass. After crossing
the usual red-coloured stream, some
15
yards wide and
not knee -deep, we camped close to the bank among
high rank grass. It looked rather a fever-haunted sort
of spot, but the mules simply revelled in the luscious
fodder.
Just
before we started next morning, a big
caravan arrived, on their way to Adua, carrying loads
of coffee, dried chillies, and burnouses
;
they also had
with them a few oxen and some sheep and goats,
which gave them plenty of trouble to get across the
river, for the latter had swollen considerably since the
previous night. We had to cross it twice more to avoid
some bluffs, whose foot it washed : and in the height of
the rainy season it must be a formidable obstacle to
travellers. An hour's journey brought us to the banks
of the Warey, a stream of about the same width but less
depth
;
we next ascended a long, waterless valley and
crossed a ridge, at the foot of which we camped. There
was plenty of grass here, but for some time we could
find no water. F"or a great part of the day before, and
all of this, we had seen no signs of human habitation.
I heard afterwards that this jungle was formerly
notorious as a haunt of robbers, and is considered far
from safe even now, which possibly accounts for the
unwillingness of the villagers to find us guides. We
saw no game on the way, though we came across a
few tracks of bushbuck and pig. In many places there
were numbers of a thorn-tree bearing tassels of white
/n/AEP VILLAGES
389
and mauve blossom, which made a pretty contrast to
the green of the other trees. The caravan of nagadis
came in later and camped close by- an attention we
could have dispensc^d with, as they and their beasts
kept up such a din all night that sleej) was impossible.
Th<; next march, we hoped, would tak(t us to Adua,
which la\' among the cone-shaped, rocky hills in the
distance
;
but it was all up-hill, [last numerous ruined
villages, and when, after five and a half hours' toll, we
learnt that it was still another hour off, 1 decided to halt.
Camp was pitched b('sid(> two or three deep pools of
water, into one of which a mule managed to timible, and
it took sixteen of us to haul him out again, the banks
being so steep and slippery. Three of my four Somalis
were sick, and several of the mules had sore backs
owing to the hilly roads, so 1 had plenty of doctoring
to do.
CHAPTER XXXIY
We reach AduaA Greek traderAdua marketKing John's interpreter
A tantahsing e]5isodeBattle and sporting picturesLedj Marcha's
houseAn Abyssinian trial
My
passports discussed The battle of
Adua.
It was as well we halted where we did, for next day it
took over two hours to reach Adua, where we camped
on a nice stretch of grass to the east of the town, and
close by the market-place. The town is built on a hill
round two large churches, and, with the exception of
Gondar, is the most substantial-looking place I have seen
in all Abyssinia. A Greek who trades between here
and Asmara came to see me and gave me various items
of news, in return for which I tried to sell him some
lame mules, but without success. My next visitors were
a group of men, who came to inform me that I had no
business to camp where I was, as the place was reserved
for persons of high degree. This seemed greatly to
tickle my men, and they chaffed them unmercifully,
till I had to interfere, and sent off Adarar with the
Emperor's letter to show their master. The Saturday
market was being held, so 1 went across and got a
number of photos, as well as a collection of samples of
the different kinds of grain for sale. Of these there
AV.VV; JOlfX'S IXTERI'RETEK
seemed to be a lair suppK-, Imt much dearer ih.ui in all
the country we had come thrt)ugh. Besides food-stufts.
I saw a good deal of cotton-sheeting, mostly of Indian
manufacture, a few ploughshares, and some Italian soap,
but no jewelk:ry or leather- work
;
not a single curio
was to be found, a couple of leopard-skins and a big
snake-skin being the only things that
interested me. After lunch 1 was told
that an Englishman was coming to see
me ; I was naturally eager to know
who he was, where he had come from,
etc., but before these questions could
be answered, a little group of people
approached, and a card was brought
me inscribed,
"
Ligee Marcha Workee
of Abyssinia." I went out to meet an
old man, who seemed bent down with
age and trouble, dressed in what were
/.^ a\c;e-.t pitirc.
once handsome clothes, but now show-
ing signs of wear. He greeted me in English, and with
an old-world politeness that was in pleasing contrast
to anything I had lately e.xperienced. When he was
seated and had recovered a little from the e.xertion of
his walk, I gradually learnt something of his history,
and afterwards, tluring my slay in Adua, as I became
l)etter acquainted with him. I obtained a fair sunnnary
of the whole. I was told thai, born in Adua, the son
of an Armenian by an Abyssinian wife, he had been
sent to Bombay to be educated
; there he had learnt
English, and, on his return, had become interpreter to
King John,
by whom he was held in high esteem. In
392
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
18S4 he was sent by that king on a mission to England,
where he was received by the Queen
;
then, when his
master had fallen at the battle of Gallabat, fighting
against the Dervishes, in
1889, he transferred his
allegiance to Ras Mangasha, and was sent by him,
after the battle of Adua, on a mission to Lord Cromer at
Cairo. When the town of Adua was looted by General
Baratieri's troops in
1894,
Ledj Marcha lost nearly all
his portable property ;
but worse was to befall him
when Menelik deposed Ras Mangasha from the gover-
norship of Tigre and took him away a prisoner to Shoa.
Under the new rule, Ledj Marcha received no rent for
his land, and had gradually to sell the few things of
value that remained to him, in order to buy bread for
his household. He had seen no English papers or
books since Mr. Wylde had stayed in his house in
1896,
and was delighted with a pile of old papers and
magazines which I presented to him. After he had
gone, I picked my way through mud and slush, along
narrow lanes shut in by high stone walls, to the church
of the Holy Trinity, which we found closed. Luckily,
just outside we met the head priest, who greeted me
effusively, and, unlocking several doors, led me up to a
room in which were stored all the vestments and church
treasures. These he began to show me, much to my
delight
;
but the pleasure was short-lived, for suddenly
he bundled some things back into a box, locked it, and',
taking my hand, led me out. He had apparently been
dining, not wisely but too well, and the tej consumed
caused him to be somewhat vacillating both of purpose
and pfait.
AnVSS/NIAN FRESCOES
On my return to camp, I found tin- Shum in charge
of the town waiting for me
;
he informed me that he
could not let me cross the frontier till he had communi-
cated with the Dedjatch, who had gone to meet the
Ras, and that this would take four to six days. I
answered that I could not wait
so long, and that lie must aci
on the Emperor's letters, which
were explicit
;
but he went away
shaking his head, and apparently
with no intention of letting me go
toruard till he got a reply from
his immediate superiors.
Next morning I returned to
the church of the Holy Trinity to
see the pictures
;
among the most
interesting were several represent-
ing Abyssinian victories over
fp^qments of a reredos,
Egyptian troops, in which, while
the few survivors of the enemy's forces were tleeing
for all they were worth, dripping with blood, not
a casualty was to be seen among the Abyssinians
in a subsidence
of the soil undermined by the stream on whose bank
they stand ; but this again would not account for the
downfall of those in the main valley.
I spent some time photographing, sketching, and
measuring the more important bits, and then went to
the house which had been prepared for my reception. It
was a good-sized tucul, and had been swept out and
garnished with carpets
;
but they had forgotten the
fleas, which were awful. Half-way up the wall there
was a curious decoration consisting of sixty-two empty
XXXV JEWELLERY AND COINS
4>5
absinthe bottles hung in a row, anil below them
several coloured Italian cards of animals and soldiers,
of the kind sold for children to cut out and paste
together. Knowing that A.xum was the great store-
house where not only the people in the surrounding
provinces, but many from great distances, came to deposit
their most precious treasures for safe-keeping, 1 let it
be known that any jewellery, coins, or curios would be
well paitl for, and gradually quite a little crowd collected
with trinkets for sale, bargaining with whom filled up
the time while the usual afternoon rain descended. In
answer to my interpreter's mild inquiries after any
illuminated books or pictures, all shook their heads in
horrified silence at the bare idea of any one selling such
4i6 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
sacred objects to a foreigner. The two most interesting
things I secured are, I think, a hollow cross, which,
when opened, discloses a tiny figure of Tecla Haymanot,
and the insignia of the Order of the Cross and King
Solomon's Seal, which was instituted by the Emperor
Theodore, especially to honour Mr. Rassam and the
members of his mission. The Order consisted of three
classes, the respective insignia of which were to be in
gold, silver with gold centre, and plain silver. I made
particular inquiry about any other inscribed stones, and
a priest told me that, next to the ark, the most jealously
guarded treasure in the church was a stone covered
with writing, which, however, had been seen by very
few, and never by any foreigner. They also brought
me several copper coins, but all in a very poor state of
preservation, and, as a former English visitor to Axum
had, according to them, paid
$5
to $6 each for these,
they had acquired such an exaggerated value in their
eyes, that I finally bought none.
With regard to the coins which have at different
times been found at Axum, Colonel \V. F. Prideaux,
who has made a special study of this subject, gives the
following description of them, which I quote in a con-
densed form from an article contributed by him to the
Niunisniatic Chronicle of
1884
:
The Axumite coins may be divided into two great series ; the
earlier bearing Greek inscriptions, while those with Ethiopic legends
belong to a later period. In the first series all the inscriptions are in
Grseco-Coptic character of a debased type. Of all the gold coins
known, only one bears a fairly written, intelligible Greek inscription
;
the others are either misspelt or are unintelligible. They belong to
two classes
;
those struck before Christianity was introduced into the
AXUMITE COINS
country, and those minted after that event. The pagan pieces bear
on the margin the symbol of a crescent and globe : the earliest
known of these is attributed to King Aphilas, but his identity and date
cannot be traced. In the Christian coins the crescent and globe are
replaced by crosses, which are generally placed at the four cardinal
points, and interrupt the legend in an arbitrary way, adding to the
difficulty of interpreting it. The coins of King Okhsas are the first
inscribed with the cross. It was probably to his sons, Aeizanas and
Sazanas, that the Emperor Constantius II.,
337-361,
addressed a
letter in
356
which is still extant. There are coins of Aeizanas, both
when he reigned in conjunction with his father, and as sole monarch
after Okhsas's death. He was tiie author of the inscribed stone dis-
covered by Salt in 1805.
These conclusions, so far as the evidence supphed by
the coins alone is concerned, seem clear and satisfactory,
but when examined by the side of the bilingual inscription
found on the stone of King Aeizanas, they present
serious difficulties. Of the two inscriptions, the Semitic
or Sabaean one is much the longer, but, as stated
above, the greater part is so much obliterated, that only
about one-third of the whole can now be deciphered.
Salt copied it to the best of his ability
;
but, as he was
totally unacquainted with the language, his transcript
was of no practical value. The Greek in.scription he
transcribed correctly, and the interpretation by Dr.
Vincent, which he gives in the third volume of I'alciUia
s
Travels
(p. 184)
leaves nothing to be desired
;
nor have
the conclusions he draws from it been upset, but rather
confirmed, by subsequent research. It was not till 1S93,
when Mr. Bent took some careful impressions of the
Sabaean inscription, that Professor Miiller of Vienna was
able to decipher and translate that part which still
presents coherent words and sentences, proving that the
2 E
4i8 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
opening lines are an exact rendering in Sabasan of the
Greek text of the obverse. Both recount the titles,
exploits, and conquests of King Aeizanas, and the
narrative is of no special interest in itself: nevertheless
the two inscriptions, taken in conjunction, are of great
importance, inasmuch as they prove that there flourished
at one time at Axum a powerful Ethiopian dynasty,
which had extended its sway over nearly the whole of
Abyssinia and part of Southern Arabia, and whose kings
had a considerable acquaintance with Greek language
and art. Further, both these and the inscriptions
unearthed in the time of Rilppell, and now likewise
interpreted by Professor Mtiller, prove beyond doubt
that the kings who set up these monuments in order to
relate their exploits were pagans ; for each of them
styles himself, "son of the unconquered god Ares" (in
Sabaean, Mahrom), an appellation which no Christian
king could possibly have used. At the end of the Greek
inscription, Aeizanas speaks of statues of gold and silver
and bronze, which, in gratitude for the victories vouch-
safed to him, he had erected to the unconquered Ares
"who begot me"no doubt the statues crowning the
pedestals or altars, which I have described as lining
the road from Adua. The other Sabzean inscriptions,
found in the same locality, and regarded by Professor
Miiller as somewhat later than the bilingual one, tend to
the same conclusion, namely, that King Aeizanas and his
immediate successors for at least two generations were
pagans. I have not the ability to solve the dilemma,
but it seems clear from the above, that either the Aeizanas
of the inscription was not the same king as the Aeizanas
HISTORICAL DILEMMA
of the coins, or that the crossL-s on the hitter are not
necessarily to be rei^'arded as emblems of Christianity.
I incline to the latter view.
In conclusion, I can only refer those of my readers
who are interested in historical research to Air. Bent's
book The Sacred City
of
the Ethiopians, and especially
to Professor Miiller's admirable essay on the A.xumite
inscriptions contained in that volume.
CHAPTER XXXVI
I take leave of the NebridDiscover an inscribed stoneA previous
visitor and his receptionReturn to AduaEmbroideryI am
allowed to leave A sign of mourningThe valley of the Mareb
Arrival at Asmara
The club
MassowahAdenMarseillesHome.
Early next morning we marched up-hill into the wide
valley of Gundet, where Fitaurari Arier, in charge of
the irregular frontier-guard of the Italians, came to meet
me, bringing a bottle of fresh milk, a luxury I had not
seen for days. He was very anxious for me to go to
his house to rest, but as I wanted to push on to Adi
Ouala, he sent a man in advance to give notice of my
arrival. A long climb to the head of the valley brought
us out on a flat, muddy road
;
here a sentry joined us,
and a little later Mohamed, the Arab who had attached
himself to the caravan at Gondar and had disappeared
three days before, came out to meet us. At ten we
reached Adi Ouala, the first large village in Italian
territory, on the main road from Adua to Asmara. It
is the headquarters of an Intelligence Officer, whose
duty it is to watch the frontier and to report all that
430
CHAP, xxxvn
A HEARTY WELCOME
431
goes on across the Mareb, but beyond his immediate
staff and a small native guard, there arc 110 troops
stationed there. After passing through the village, I
found Captain Mulazzani, the frontier officer, and his
lieutenant, Teodorani, waiting to receive me at the gate
of the compound. What a thing it was to see a white
face again and to be surrounded by neatness and order
!
for everything in and about the compound was as bright
as a new pin. After greetings exchanged through our
interpreters, I was led to the tucul prepared for me, and
told dt'jeuner would be ready immediately. From my
window I espied a telegraph-wire, and went over to a
hut near by, which proved to be the telegraph-office, but
was unable to discover from the clerk whether I could wire
to England or not. So off he went to fetch Captain
Mulazzani, who, when he arrived, was delighted to find
I could speak a little indifferent French, which language
neither of us had thought of at our first interview.
Having sent off my telegram home, we sat down to a
meal which will long live in my memory, not only on
account of its recherchd quality, but also from the fact
that here, for the first time since leaving Dungoler, I
obtained news of the outside world. I need not say that
in the course of the repast I plied my hosts first with
questions about the war, and next about the affairs of
the world in general. The taking of Pretoria, the flight
of Kruger, the Queen's visit to Ireland, the reported
massacre of the embassies in Pekin, the huge armies
preparing to enter China, and the siege of Coomassie,
all was news to me.
Just
after di'jciuicr, a native soldier returned in
43^
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
triumph from Walkait, having shot a Honess. His head
was tied up with red and blue silk, and a fringe of hair
bound round his forehead to represent the lion''s mane
;
a fiddler led the way, followed by a crowd of men, who
chanted the hunter's prowess, while the hero of the
doughty deed pranced about in the middle, waving his
rifle and letting off blank cartridges at intervals. Close
behind him the lion-skin, partly stuffed with straw, was
borne along on a pole, while half the village followed in
an admiring throng.
After a capital dinner, I turned into bed, under a roof
for the first time since I left Zeila over eight months ago.
A six-hours' march next morning, along a good camel
road, brought us to the fort of Adi Ugri
;
Godofelasie
having been left a little to our right. Passing the lines
of the native troops I ordered camp to be pitched at the
foot of a hill, in a spot which commanded a good view
of the parade-ground and the fort above. On my way
to visit the officer in command, I was met by his A.D.C.,
who had not expected my arrival so early. He insisted
on my things being taken to a house that had been
prepared for me, while we entered the fort and I was
introduced to Major Baldini, commanding the ist regi-
ment of native troops, which formed the garrison.
Being pressed to accept an invitation to dine at mess,
in spite of my rough attire, I rather reluctantly did so,
and then returned to
"
my house" to write letters. For-
tunately, some time before the dinner hour. Lieutenant
Talamonti arrived in spotless white tunic and breeches to
fetch me, when I discovered that my watch was twenty-
five minutes slower than their time. We went up to the
A CI VJUSED DINNER
433
mess, which consisted of a large dining-room, supple-
mented by a card-room and reading-room built along-
side. Mere I was met by Major Baldini, who formally
introduced me to each officer present. We sat down
fifteen to dinner, the conversation turning principally
on my journey and the reception I had met with in
.Abyssinia. Most of the officers spoke French, and were
434
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
hardly to credit my statement that it was snow. The
Mad Mullah and his doings were discussed, also the
question whether the combined movement of Abyssinian
and British troops would succeed in crushing him.
Making the excuse of an early start, I at length tore
myself away from my kind hosts, and was conducted to
"
my house," where I learnt that all my Somalis had left
camp to fraternise with their countrymen in the Italian
service, while most of the Abyssinians had done the
same
;
so I thought it best to roll up my bedding and
return to the tents to watch over the safety of my
property.
In the morning it was some time before I could
collect my servants, for most of the Abyssinians were
fuddled with tej, their e.xcuse being that the\' could get
no food the night before. The first part of the cart-
road was well metalled and drained on either side, but
it rapidly degenerated into a series of mere tracks
through liquid mud. In five hours we reached Debarroa
just as a cloud broke, which fairly damped everything
before we could get the tents up. This place had
apparently been a large village at one time, but had
fallen upon evil days, and prosperity had not yet
returned.
At daybreak an escort of four men arrived, and a
six-hours' march, during which we crossed several of the
small streams which go to make the Baroa, brought us to
the outskirts of Asmara, under the hill on which Fort
Baldissera stands. Here I had expected one of my
men, sent on in advance, to meet me and point out the
camping-ground. Half an hour went by without any
MAJOR ELIA
signs of him ;
ihcn ihc rain began :
so, fnuling an
Italian non-commissioned officer, I asked his permission
to stand the mules in a military stable hard by, which
was readily granted. As soon as the rain slackened a
bit we pitched camp, and had just got the tents up when
it came down in sheets. During this downpour Major
Elia, the chief of the staff, rode up, and very kindly
insisted on my accompanying him to the club, whence,
in spite of my travel-stained appearance, he took me to
the official residence of H.E. the Governor of Erythrea
;
to him I was introduced, and we had a short conversa-
tion on the subject of my journey.
While we were walking across to the Military Club-
house, my head muleteer, who had stayed behind on
the road, came up with the body of a long grey-haired
monkey, which he had shot on the way, knowing I had
been so an.xious to obtain a specimen. He told me the
police had stopped him and taken away his rille and
cartridges. Major Elia explained that no native, unless
a soldier, was allowed to carry arms in Erythrea, and
gave my man a note to the police sergeant, directing
him to return the weapon. This was only one of the
many instances I noticed of the sensible lines on which
the Italian Government rule their colonya pleasing
contrast to the French methods at Jibuti.
Major Elia was so good as to offer me a house to
put up in, but I thought it best to remain by my caravan,
which he advised me to break up here, instead of march-
ing to Massowah. I dined with him and several other
officers of the staff at an excellent restaurant, where
their mess was temporarily housed tluring some re-
436
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
building operations. At the club I met Mr. Nathan of
the Erythrean Goldfields Company, who have started
work not far from the capital, and also Mr. Hornibrook,
a mining expert from New Zealand, who had come over
to give them his advice. I saw some specimens of ore,
said to be very rich, but did not succeed in learninq;
m.uch about the mine.
Next morning was occupied by selling off all my
D HIS Orderly.
mules, donkeys, and camp-kit. There was very little
demand for anything, except good riding mules, but, as
the only two I possessed had died on the way, this did
not benefit me. Finally, after much bargaining, I sold
all the beasts in a batch to the agent of a transport
company, who ship baggage
-
animals to Mombassa,
where they fetch large prices. The Gold Company took
over most of the camp-kit and what few stores I had left.
That afternoon I had hard work to sprinkle all the
skins with turpentine and pack them in boxes ready to
PA Y OFF MY MEN
t^o to the coast : in fact I had to leave some unfinished
till next morning, when everything was ready by 6 a.m.
to go down to the rail at Sahati, loaded on two
transport
-
waggons kindly lent me by the military
authorities. After I had seen these away, and three of
my Somalis with them, at
7.30,
I spent the rest of the
morning writing letters, including one to the Emperor,
to thank him for the courtesy shown me in his country.
I also wrote out chits for my men, and settled up their
accounts. In the afternoon I heard that Mr. Beru,
interpreter to the British Agency at Adis Ababa, had
arrived, and went to see him at the house of his
sister, who is official Amharic interpreter to the Italian
Government. We had a long talk, he telling me the
news since I left, how I\Ir. Baird had gone to Khartoum,
how my former companions had abandoned the journey
to Fashoda and turned south tcj Mombassa, and about
the plague that had been raging at Aden. Next
morning I paid oft" my men earl)', saw the tents and
camp-kit handed over to their new owners, and the
few personal belongings that I hail kept with me
carried up to the posting-station. When all was done,
I felt a little saddened by the thought that another
chapter of my nomad life was closed, and that soon its
mixture of freedom and responsibility, its joys and
hardships, would have to be exchanged once more for
prosaic civilisation with its trivial round of duties,
pleasures, and annoyances.
Under Mr. Beru's guidance I set out for a tour of
Asmara, which seems destined to be a large and im-
portant place in the near future. My camp, as I have
438
A SPOA'77NG TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap.
already mentioned, had been pitched just below the
fort named after General Baldissera, situated on a hill
to the south-west of the town
;
it is well planned and
covers a large area. Close to me were great stacks of
government fodder and ranges of stabling now empty.
A short walk brought us to the governor's house, built
in the style of an Italian chalet, a small ornamental
garden separating it from the club premises vis-a-vis.
These two buildings lay at a little distance from the
business quarter of the town, where numerous fine
blocks of stone houses were quickly replacing less
pretentious structures. There seemed to be a fair
number of shops, besides several cafes and restaurants,
also workshops occupied by skilled mechanics. On the
further side were the Roman Catholic Mission build-
ings, and close to the native bazaar the shops of a
number of East Indian merchants. Beyond this stood
what was left of the original village, and the better-class
houses, which were nearly all flat-roofed, surrounded by
their little yards. Close by stood the old church, built
like a log-hut, with massive timbers in its walls, the
interstices filled with stones. In the churchyard still
hung the three old flat stones used as "bells," so often
described by former travellers
;
they seemed like the
landmarks of a bygone age, beside the modern metal
bell that has usurped their place. The low, flat-roofed
building with its tiny door reminded me strangely of
some of the village mosques in Kashmir. Behind us, on
a steep hill, stood the old residence of Ras Alula, the
ablest general Abyssinia has seen in modern times, and the
man who so long withstood the advance of the Italians.
ARRIVAL AT MASSOWAH
439
After lunch a little ^roup of my friends saw me oft"
by the post-cart, which startetl just before three o'clock.
There was only one other passenger in the little
waggonette drawn by three mules. We drove at a
gentle' pace down a well-made road, with easy gradients
curving down the hill-sides, till the low country was
reached. The road compared very favourably with
those leading to our Indian hill-j)osts, but the slow
pace and dawdling at the changing-stations made one
wish for the native driver and cantering ponies of the
Indian mail tonga. We reached Sabargouma, at the
foot of the hills, at
8.30 ;
here the only available dining-
place was a very indifferent restaurant, whose most
striking features were heat and flies. Within an hour
we were ofif again with two additional
passengers,
whose room we should, lit(;rall\-, have much preferred
to their company.
At
2.30
.\..M. we reached Sahati, having been eleven
and a half hours doing the
53
miles ! The railway station
was some distance from where we stopped, and when
I got a coolie to carry my things across, I found the
place in utter darkness. By the light of some matches
I found a carriage and piled my things in it, but
discovered later that a cape had been abstracted. The
train left at
4.15,
and took an hour and a half to
JNIassowah, where I went to Messrs. Benetfink's office,
to whose care my baggage had been forwarded. From
here I was directed to the steamboat agents, where
I found that a i)ass was required for my Somalis to
leave the colony. This necessitated a further long walk
in the sun
;
but at last all was arranged, and, sending
440 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap, xxxvii
my men on board in charge of the baggage, I set out
in search of breakfast. This time I enjoyed a pleasant
meal, during which I chatted to the proprietor, learning
his views on Erythrea in general and Massowah in
particular, which were not very rosy.
Next I proceeded on board the little mail steamer
Palatina, which makes a weekly voyage to Aden and
back with the European mail for the colony. The news
of the assassination of King Humbert had just been
received, and every one was discussing the sad event.
We sailed sharp at eleven and had a smooth run down
the coast till next morning, when there was too much
sea to suit me, and I postponed attempting a meal till
we called at Assab in the afternoon.
At
8.
30 on ist August, we anchored at Aden, where
1 had a busy two days, trying to discover what the
native agent had done with my baggage and all my
letters, for my last news from home was nearly six
months old. The plague and contradictory instructions,
since I had separated from the party, appeared to have
completely muddled him : my kit for the voyage had
been despatched home long since, and my letters, as they
arrived, had been forwarded to Mr. Harrison in England !
so I had to collect some scratch garments, and, as for
home news, just possess my soul in patience. I heard
that the whole of our trophies sent from Tadechamalca
had been impounded by the Custom-house authorities at
Harrar, as no pass from the Emperor had accompanied
them, and that when they were eventually released, the
plague prevented their getting further than Aden, where
they had lain till just before my arrival.
CHAP. XXXVII
HOMEWARD BOUND
443
Thu I'. & O. Caledonia came in a cou[)l{j of hours
before she was expected, and I had to hurry on board.
I found a few old acquaintances, and we made a pleasant
voyas^e to Marseilles, where we arrived on Sunday the
1 2th, the day on which President Loubet visited the
city. The place was filled with soldiers and a moderate
crowd, but the amount of enthusiasm displayed by the
latter was distinctly meagre, about the only cries heard
being ]^ivc larmde! Next day 1 reached home, where
I had a short three weeks' rest, before joining my militia
regiment in Malta for garrison duty. Before leaving, I
had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing my Tade-
chamalca skins unpacked : all of them were badly
damaged, while of some little remained (except the feet
and a tuft or two of hair.
Before these pages appear in print, 1 hope to be
again on my way to the Dark Continent, to explore
some fresh part of its vast extent and add to my
collection of its big game.
Transport WAGGO^
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I
Nativk Troops
In my journey through the ItaUan colony of Erythrea, from the river
Mareb, which forms the southern boundary, to the Port of Massowah, I
had a good opportunity of studying the organisation of the native troops.
Since then Major ^'ittorio Elia, chief of the staff of the Italian
royal troops in Africa, has kindly sent me a number of details and
Ijhotographs of the different units, in the arranging and revising of
which, together with my notes, Major Leather of the 5th Fusiliers has
helped me greatly.
The strength of the force is as follows
:
^
.
No. and Sex. Locality. Date. Notes.
165 (J
-
I 24.6.00 Skull smashed.
166 <5
I
Theropithecus obscurus (Heuglin). Black Gelada.
(Native name,
"
Gomaro.')
It was described by Heuglin in 1863, and was mi.\ed up by Schimper
with the small race of gelada.
Total shot, 2.
5
.
No. and Sex. Locality. Date.
69 4 Cora Goba 6.3.CO
704
,, ,,
The natives are very loose in the name they apply to any large monkey, as often as
not calling them promiscuously "jingero," though, strictly speaking, that is the
common native name of the Chizropithecus doguera. They also called Hamadryai
hamadryas indifferently "gilada" or "gomaro," but the former only is correct, while
the "gomaro" is Theropithecus obscurus.
456
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
The
"
lion- monkeys
"
{Th. gclada and Th.'Obs,airiis) were seen only
at these two places, in each case in large troops on the face of steep
cliffs. They are said to be much more common east of Lake Tana.
Those at Simien seemed smaller than those by the Gora Goba. The
old males enforce their authority in a very rough way. Besides beating
and biting an offending member, one was seen to seize a youngster that
got in his way and throw it over the clift'. At .Simien they were apparently
pulling up grass and feeding on the roots.
Chivropithcciis dogucra (Puch. and Schimp.).
Abyssinian Chacma.
(Native name, "Jingero.")
This fine baboon takes the place in Abyssinia of Ch. porcarius of the
Cape, and was long thought to be found all over East Africa, but the East
African race proves to be distinct, and has recently been described under
the name of Cluvr. nciiiiianni.
,-iiKl Se:
Total shot, 2.
(J.
APPENDIX III.MAMMALS
1^0 leo spinaliciisis (Noack). Nortli-Easl African I, ion.
I
Native name,
"
Ambassa.'')
This race of tlic lion [Fc/is Ico, Linn.) is distinguished from the other
races by its very large ears, very long tail, and pale grey tinge to the fur.
It was described from Somaliland, but I consider the Abyssinian lions to
belong to the same race. Mr. I'owell-Cotton shot one female out of a
troop of
5
(i
c?
juv.,
3 $
,
and i cub) on 23rd May i goo, towards Metenimch.
He says the only place where they appeared to be numerous was at
Laminifun.
The lion has been divided into the following races
:
S
'g
c
lO
o
o
u-i - o
r^
N N M M ^ rO
I
H J
in r~* t-* l:^^0 'o^ !>.
'O O O O t^ O^OO
On O^Oo' O
. r^'O Ooo c O C^ O O r^ C^cc
8 8 8 8 8 8888 8 8888888888
D ^D *C 'O *0 *o tJ ND 'O *<> -^ SO ^D CK *o o- -^ *r> <) *o o *o
n'O 00 0^ O C^CiO r-^O r-^ "O r-^ O
'-' ^ * r^oo C> O oo C^ ""
APPENDIX III. -MAMMALS
Gazclla spvkci (lilytli). Speke's C'.azcllc.
(Somali name,
"
Dhcro.")
This gazelle, which was described by lilyth in
1856, inhabits the high-
lands, while Gazclla pelzelni is a lowland species. Apart from other
diftcrences, the sportsman is at once struck Ijy the exaggerated folds and
ridges on the nose of this species as opposed to the ordinary smooth skin
on the nose of G. pehelni.
Total shot, 2.
$
.
^
I.ocalily. Date, R. Horn. I,. Horn.
"^J,V''=J="
Height. Cirth. I.ciiKtli. Weight. Kit
1 15. II.
99
... ... ... 24J,
2I.V 5.j7-4('
28 lbs.
2 20.11.99
7s<>i 3l
"
26A
6.38.J.454
34II1S. j2
I. Diultlarp. 2. Arroweina.
Gazella stviniiicrrijigi (Cretzschm.). Socmmerring's (lazellc.
(Somali name, "Aul.")
This species of gazelle was another of the discoveries of the indefatig-
able traveller Riippell, who sent specimens to Frankfort, where Cretzschmar
described it in 1826.
The North Somali form, Gazella sanniicriiin;! herhcraiiaai Matschie, is
larger, and darker, with differently curved horns.
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
APPENDIX m.MAMMALS
llippolragiis equinus bakeri (Heugl.). liakcr's Antelope.
(Native name,
"
Wunderbee.")
This fine antelope, which Thomas considers only a sub-species of the
roan antelope of South Africa, was described by Heuglin in 1863.
The species of Hippotragus are as follows :
P.Z.S.
p. 5
5-
Total shot, 6.-5
c3,
i
?
Locality. Date. R. Horn. I.. Horn,
"^ips!""
Heieht. (iirth. I.c-Tigth. Weiglit. Elevation.
1 21. II. 99
... ... 4oi
35
II. 58.71 161 lbs.
4700 ft.
2 1. 12.99
29^x68
28ix6i I2i 45' 404 10.67A.95i 4150
ft.
2 ,, 29ix6J
281x63 loj 44i 40 9A.66i.92i 2831115. 4150 ft.
3
3.12.99 28Jx6i
28x6i i4i
43i
39*
9i-65.So 204
lbs. 4600 ft.
4
4.12.99
25AX6A 25AX6A 8 46A 39A 10.66.82 212 lbs.
5
5.12.99
27x6 27x6| 10 46A 39A 10.70.85 226 lbs. 4100 ft.
I. .\rroweina. 2. Giirgura. 3.
Gineble. 4.
Orthar.
5
Ulfiila.
The last seen were at Tadechamalka.
478 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Capra walic (Ruppell). Abyssinian Ibex.
(Native name, "Wala.")
The most important result, zoologically, of Mr. Powell -Cotton's ex-
pedition was undoubtedly the procuring of a fine series of this magnificent
wild goat, which had hitherto only been known from one immature male
(the type) and another skin and a few traded horns.
It was described by Riippell in
1835,
and has remained practically
unknown until
1
901. At the meeting of the Zoological Society on iSth
June 1
90
1,
I made the following remarks on this species :
When Mr. R. Lydekker wrote his great work The Wild Oxen, Sheep,
mid Goats
of
An Lands, in
1898, this fine species was only known from
the type specimens in the Senckenberg Museum at Frankfort. Since then a
few pairs of horns have been unearthed, collected at various times by Herr
Menges, the wild-beast trapper, but it has remained for Mr. Powell-Cotton
to clear up the history of Capra ica/ic by the fine series he has collected of
this fast-vanishing form.
Riippell's original description is as follows :
"
This ibex Is called wala by the Abyssinians, and is said to exist only
in the mountains of Simien. I shot four specimens at the
commencement
of autumn (end of
June), just at the beginning of the rutting season. There
were slight falls of snow and hail, and it was very cold at night. There are
said to be two feet of snow on the hill-tops in August. On 25th June I saw
two males and one female
;
later, on the same day, I saw a larger male by
APPENDIX III.-MAMMALS
479
itself and shot it. On the 26lh, I saw two large males feedinj,' by them-
selves, and later on found them with thirteen females. On the 2 7lh, 1
found the same herd and shot the two large males and one female. These
were the only three large males on the ground. I searched a good deal
of country round but only saw old tracks. The natives hunt these animals
persistently for their flesh, skins, and horns (which they use for tumblers),
and now that they are so much better armed, I believe in a very few years
the animals will be extinct. I was told of some other hunting-ground
farther to the north-east, but had not time to visit it. The three male
specimens shot and a head, which I found, all have the points of the horns
turned inwards
;
but a pair of horns, presented to me by Dedjatch Zerefer,
which he said were obtained on Mount Hi, had the points turned outwards.
"
I found the ibex on the eastern slope of Mount Buiheat, one of the
highest in the Simian rangein the French maps it is marked as 4510 m.
in elevation. The top is undulating grass-land, with a much frequented path
running along close to the edge of the cliffs, at the foot of which is the ibex-
ground.
'
The cliffs being too high for a shot, and, so far as I could discover,
there being no direct path down, it seemed to be a favourite amusement of
passing caravans to roll over stones in the hope of seeing a herd disturbed.
At the foot of the first line of cliffs, and below several lesser ill-defined
lines lower down, are the runs and lying-up places of the ibex and klip-
springer. The earth and stones dropping from above have formed banks
some little distance from the face of the cliffs, while here and there an
overhanging rock forms a roomy shelter under it. The ibex appear
regularly to use these partly concealed runs in moving from one part of the
ground to another, and it was in them that I found numerous traces of
where native shikaris had lain up to get a shot at them, generally
overlooking a drinking-place or a favourite shelter.
"
The steep ground between the different lines of cliffs is covered with long
coarse grass, along which the curious Tree-Lobelia {Lobelia rhynchopetala)
grows, besides firs, birch, and many scrubby bushes, the whole reminding
me very much of the kind of place where I have shot thar in Kistawar,
Kashmir, and being tiuite unlike any ground where I had previously seen
ibex.
"
Even when the animals were feeding in the early morning and late
afternoon, it was by no means easy to make them out amongst the under-
growth. At the foot of the mountain large flocks of sheep and goats were
grazing, being sheltered at night in caves, the openings of which were
protected by stone walls and wattles. Lower down there was a large
stretch of cultivated land, and several groups of huts forming the village of
Lurev.
48o A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
"
Although I had a special letter from the Emperor Menelik to the
governor of Simien, and from the latter to the different headmen, they
placed every sort of passive obstruction in the way of my shooting ibex,
and one and all seemed most anxious to get me out of the country as
quickly as possible, in spite of their receiving all the meat killed, besides
presents and liberal rewards."
Total shot, 4.
3 (J,
I
$.
^n^g^^
Locality. Date. R. Horn. L. Horn.
"^
j"p"" Height. Girth. Length. Weight.
167 i
I 25.6.00
40^X11^
42ixnJ i6i
385 46i 9.59.69 276 lbs.
168
c? I 27.6.00 43JXI1J 43ixiii i2i
42 4SI ioi.66.75
i69<J I
,,
4iixiij 41x11 I9g
41 48 II.
65^.75 254 lbs.
170? I ..
i3>=5
^i%>-S 7t
Found or Presented,
oooi I 25.6.00 37ixiiJ
38S 18J
o.xocj 2 ..
43J 435
Horns only,
xox
i
3
(young). Horns and frontal only.
I. Buiheat. 2. Hi
(?| 3. Detjem.
Measurements of Skulls.
No.
APPENDIX ni.MAMMALS 481
Total recovered, 4-
' i^
-
$ .
'
young-
and'scx
Loml''>- L)''"^- Curved lower Tusks. Straight lower Tuskv Height. Girth. Lenslh.
47
(voune) I 23. 12.99
'73 i
2 10. 3.00 R. 9^x65 L.ioJx6J
R-7x5i L-7ix
Si 54 '07
26.114.128
!74 9
2
6ix5i 6ix5i 4ix4.i
4^x44
54.J
100 27.120. 136
759
2 5ix4^ 5ix4^
44x4i 4ijx4i - '02 24.109.125
I. On the Hawash.
2. Jarso.
Numerous in the Hawash, Abbai, and Lake Tana (in which they are
most hunted) ; tracks of a few were seen where the Takazze was crossed.
Of the three shot on loth March 1900,
two walked ashore after being
shot in the brain, and the third floated and was towed ashore forty minutes
after sinking to the shot.
Potamocha-nis hassama (Heugl.). Abyssinian Bush-Pig.
(.Abyssinian name, ".Assamc" ;
Argo name,
"
.Askarmar.")
Mr. Powell-Cotton, though he hunted diligently for it, failed to find this
animal.
Much confusion seems to exist as to the number of species of
bush-pig and river-hog, but, so far, I think the following table shows the
number and distribution of the species of Po/amoc/ia'rtis.
Poiamochcerus laniatus. Madagascar.
Polamocha'rus charopotamus.West .Africa, south to .Angola.
Potamochcurus capensis. South .Africa.
Potamocha'Kus johnsfoni.Xorth-West Nyasaland.
Potamocha-rus tiyassa.Lake Moeru and South-West Nyasaland.
Potamochtcrus damonis.Uganda and German East Africa.
Potamochcerns hassama. North-East Africa.
Potamocha-rus porcus, "Red River Hog."West Africa.
Phacocluvnis africanus (Gmel.).
.-Ethiopian Wart-hog.
(Native name,
"
Kurkerrow."i
This animal was described by Gmelin in 17S8, and it is most un-
fortunate that the South African wart-hog had been named Sus athiophiis
by Linne in 1766, for this has led to endless confusion between the two
species. I here give their distribution as a future guide to sportsmen and
collectors.
Phatocharus africanus.East, Central, and West .Africa. From the
Soudan and Abyssinia to the Zambesi on the east, and from Senegambia
and the Soudan to Ashanti on the west.
'
Kept head-skin, feet, and jaws ; feet and legs marked patches of white.
-
Kept skull complete.
2 I
482 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Phacocharus athiopiciis. Southern Africa, south of the Zambesi.
Total shot, I. $ .
Out of Gums.
No. and Se.\-. Locality. Date. R. Tusk. L. Tusk. Height. Girth. Length. Weight.
1555
I 3.6.00 7:<4
7i''^4i 34
40 7i-56.76 212
I. Towards Metenimeh.
Charged three times when wounded ; a very pkicky beast.
Were seen at Somadu, Gurto, on the Hawash, at Shimerler Jowee, and
towards Metemmeh. The Abyssinians are very fond of the meat.
Diccros bicornis (Linn.^. Two-horned Rhinoceros.
(Native name,
"
Ora-rish.")
Mr. Powell-Cotton never found rhinoceros during his entire trip, but
remarks that they are said to exist south-east of Kassala. This species
of rhinoceros was formerly divided into two species, Rhinoceros bicornis and
Rk. keitloa, the former having the front horn much longer than the back
one, while the latter had the back horn equal to or longer than the front
horn. It has since been proved that these differences in the horn are
individual and not specific differences, but it is curious that some years ago
a considerable number of whole skins, and skeletons, and loose skulls, and
horns of rhinoceros, came to England from
"
Abyssinia," and they all were
of the keitloa type.
Elephas ofricaiius oxyotis (Matsch.). Soudanese Elephant.
(Native name, "Zohon.")
Although for many years past it was noticed by such keen observers
and hunters as F. C. Selous, A. H. Neumann, and others that the
elephants in different parts of Africa showed marked differences, zoolo-
gists have hitherto chosen to consider these differences as purely individual,
and that there was only one race of African elephant. It remained there-
fore for Dr. Matschie, with his usual energy, to go into the question from
an unbiassed point of view, and on the 1 6th of October
1 900, at a meeting
of the
"
Gesellschaft naturforschender Freunde
'
in Berlin, he separated
four races of elephant as follows:i. Elephas africamis capeiisis, Cuv.,
from Africa, south of the Zambesi
;
2. Elephas africanus cycloiis, Mtsch.,
from Kamerun and West Africa
;
3. Elephas afi-icanus o.xyo/is, Mtsch.,
from North-East Africa
;
and 4. Elephas africanus kiwclicn/iaiiLri, Mtsch.,
from East and South-East Africa. At the same time Dr. Matschie said
that he was sure, if more material could be collected, that the Congolese
and Angola elephants would prove yet a different race, and also that there
would be found two or three other races in other parts of Africa.
The dilTerences of the four races are as follows :
APPENDIX III.-MAMMALS
483
Elephas a. uipcnsis has tlie forehead falling off towards the temporal
cavities, so that it appears much arched
;
the ears are enormously large,
and are shaped like a square, with rounded corners, to which is fastened a
small, sharply pointed angular process.
EUphas a. cyclotis has the ear also very large, but of c|iiite a different
shape
;
it is oval, with the attached process in the shape of a half-
ellipse. The skin is finely tessellated, and the colour a paler gvcy than
in the following race.
Elephas a. o.xyotis has the ear considerably smaller and in the sha])e of
a semicircle, to which is attached in front a very sharply pointed angular
lappet.
E/ip/iiis a. knoc/ten/tatieri, finally, has the smallest ears, and these are
triangular, with an angulated pointed lappet in front. .\11 these forms
also show cranial differences which, however, cannot be adequately dealt
with here. Mr. Powell-Cotton found elephants on the Hawash, at
Shimerler Jowee, and towards Metemmeh, but none with big tusks.
Hystrix afriac-aiistralh (I'eters). .-Xfrican Porcupine.
The utmost confusion used to prevail in connection with the existing
porcupines of the genus Hystrix. Some zoologists assert that they are all
one species, while others divide them into twenty-seven different species.
At present twelve forms are generally recognised as distinct species, of
which three inhabit Africa. Hystrix crisiata is confined to North Africa
and Egypt proper in Africa, though found also in South Europe and
Western Asia
;
Histrix galeata is confined, as far so we know, to Eastern
Africa (Lamu)
;
while the species of which I am here treating has a rather
curious distribution, occurring all over East Africa, in Central Africa, from
Zanzibar to the Cape Colony, .\ngola, the Gambia, Senegal, and the
Western Soudan, but being absent, so far as I can ascertain from the Congo
region.
No. :iik1 Sex. Locility. Ltate. Weight. KIcv.ition.
22(5 Gurgura
1.12.99 28 lbs.
4150
feet.
One of a pair seen going down a burrow ; this was the only time any
were encountered, though their tracks were often observed and their burrows
found on several occasions.
Lcptis bcrhcramis (Heuglin). Somali Hare.
(Native name,
"
Chintcl."')
The species of hare are still somewhat in confusion
; for while older
authors were inclined to increase the species indefinitely, English
zoologists have been disposed to
"
lump
"
too many together, and are only
484
A SPORT/NG TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
just beginning to distinguish the races more carefully. The following are
the African forms :
Total shot, 2. I
1^
,
I ?
No. and Se.x. Locniitv. Date.
5
Hensa 16.
11.99
II
i Lasman 17. II.
99
Orycteropus cetliiopicus (Sundev). East African Ant-bear.
(Native name,
"
Saherar.")
This is the eastern representative of Orycteropus senegalensis, from
which it differs in several points ; but if the skull is examined, an obvious
difference is that the last molar but one of O. athiopicus is the same size
as the last molar of O. senegalensis. There are four species of Orycteropus
living.
Orycteropus capensis (Gm.). South, Central, and South-East Africa.
Orycteropus cetliiopicus (Sundev). North- East Africa, Sennar, and
Kordofan.
Orycteropus senegalensis (Less.). West .Africa, north of Clold Coast.
Orycteropus haussanus (Matschie). Togoland.
I append Mr. Powell-Cotton's notes in full.
"Saw tracks of them at Gineble, Ordah, and Bilen, but nothing like the
number found on the south side of the Mareb.
"
The rains having commenced, it was easy to track them. They do
not seem to feed much at any one ant-hill ; one we followed had visited
APPENDIX in.MAMMALS
485
several in a night, tearing off a large piece half-way up and then moving
on. They seem to prefer a species of ant that lives in the ground but
throws up no hill, for we found numerous trenches where this one had
found and followed up an ant-tunnel.
"
They will also dig into old, deserted ant-hills, rcexcavatc and lengthen
an old burrow, or drive a hole into a bank, and in each case after a
good deal of labour work out again and move on.
"
For their home-burrow they generally drive a sloping tunnel till they
reach a depth of four or five feet, and then dig along through the soft
earth or sand below the stratum to which the rains penetrate. In this they
can burrow far quicker tlian any number of well-equipped men can follow
them, having to dig through the hard-baked layer of soil under which the
animals drive. .A large number of men might cut a circle round, but it
would be a difficult and tedious task. I tried digging one out, but as
soon as we sank a cross trench ahead of the beast, it turned off to one side.
"
Eventually, one evening I lay out near a hole one had entered the
night before. I missed it the first time it showed. Two others came
close to us during the night. They move very close to the ground, until
alanned, wljen they raise themselves like a lizard. One appeared to spring
backwards four or five yards, and then stopped, head raised towards us.
The beast in the burrow showed again, and I wounded it. Next morning
I found it had gone down a burrow, in which it was able to move the old
soft earth, but could not dig into the hard earth at the end. It cried
piteously when wounded by a second bullet.
"The shape of the burrow was an irregular oval, the longer diameter
being 10 feet
7
inches and the shorter 7
feet
3
inches
; the end where we
found the animal was
5
feet
5
inches below the surface, and almost under
the entrance.
"
None of the .\byssinians with me had seen a
'
saherar ' before, and
it excited much interest on the road to Asmara."
Total shot, I.
No. ami .Sex. Loralily. O.n.;. Hcisht. Girth. I.cngih. \V<:i>;lu.
171(5 X. bank of Mareb 22.7.00 2i 29 11.42.67 ii61bs.
.\t J in. from end of snout girth was
7!
3in. .,
7i
-. 6iin
13J
Ciirth by eyes,
9^
in. : girth just in front of oars, 16 in. ; girth liase of tail, 19 in.
Coloureye, brown ; inside mouth, dirty white : tongue, pale i)ink.
Wild Ass, Equus a/ricanus,
"
Uadahiya."
" Said to be
plentiful in Walkait. I saw no traces of them in any of the coLuitry where
I was.''
Hyicna, Hyaiia striata,
"
Gib."
" Numerous
;
shot none."
Hyrax, Procavia abysnnica,
"
Askoko."
4. Camp kit,
tools, etc.
7. Drugs8. Clothing
9.
Money and piesents10. Care of skins and headsi i. General
hints, and notes on probable expenses of trip.
I. How TO ENTER Anv.ssiN i.\. TiiE Car.w.w .\.\-d its Composition.
I. Without the Emperors permission an expedition into .-\byssinia is
pretty well impossible, and is sure to come lo grief sooner or later
;
so
that, unless this can be procured beforehand for the intending traveller,
he must visit the capital and get it himself
For the Englishman, Zeila is at present by far the easiest and best
starting point; later, when the rail from Jibuti to Harrar is completed,
that port may be preferable.
If it is intended to shoot in the highlands of Abyssinia, it will be best
to follow the usual routine of hiring camels from Zeila to Gildessa, donkeys
from there to Harrar, and mules on to the capital. At the capital, wher-
ever that may be, mules and e\erything else likely to be rec|uired must
be purchased for the expedition. Do not leave the ca-pital till all ropes,
leather bags, etc., required have been collected : for I experienced great
difficulty and much delay in attempting to purchase them in the provinces.
Should it be intended to make a detour for shooting purposes on the
road up, and then either continue in the low country or go up to the
highlands, camels must be purchased on the coast, and cither kept for
the whole trip or returned to the coast with the trophies obtained up to
date.
492 ^i SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
If camels be employed, all the personnel should be Somalis, except
local guides, engaged in the actual part of the country you are shooting
inif mules are selected, Somalis are useless, except as shikaris and
personal servants, and then the fewer taken the better, as they are much
more difficult to feed, and feel the cold very much.
2. For the composition of a camel caravan, the intending traveller
should read Major Svvayne's Seventeen Trips through Soinaliland.
The caravan should consist of a headman, cook, personal servant, two
shikaris, skinman, a syce for each riding animal, a donkey-boy to drive
donkeys and sheep, and a camel-man to each two baggage -camels
;
these
men also carry rifles and form the escort, besides performing all camp duties.
.'\ Somali's daily ration is I lb. of rice,
\
lb. of dates, and 2 oz. of
ghee, the two former must be carried from the coast. Casks, to carry at
least one day's water-supply for everyone, should be taken. Tents are
not expected by Somalis, but a blanket a-piece is much appreciated, and
prevents a great deal of sickness ; in any case, these should be provided
for the personal servants, shikaris, and sentries.
In a mule caravan two men must be allowed for every three baggage-
animals. There will be less friction, if the Abyssinians are allowed to
select their own headman
;
they should each receive a burnous costing
2 dollars.
The caravan is subdivided into groups of six men to a tent, each of
which groups elect one of themselves as chief, w-ho is responsible to the
headman for his men, beastsj and loads.
Each man receives a monthly sum for rations, and it is as well to settle
how many mules you will allow them to carry their food and kit ; one to
each tent is ample, but unless the loads are examined every now and then,
this number will be found to be constantly exceeded.
Two felt-covered water-tanks, holding
5
gallons each, will be found
ample to fetch water to camp
;
for since mules cannot travel in a water-
less country, you must never be very far from it.
Not less than two riding-beasts for personal use should be taken, and
one baggage-animal and attendant should always accompany the sports-
man to bring in the trophies and meat.
It will save much trouble, if two or three spare baggage-animals are
taken to relieve sick ones of their loads, or to carry trophies, if these
accumulate faster than the stores decrease.
The following is a list of camp-kit, etc., which, after twelve years spent in
travel and shooting in all sorts of climates and with transports of every
kind, I should select for myself if going another eight months' sporting
expedition in .'Vbyssinia.
APPENDIX v.HINTS TO SPORTSMEN
493
Most of the following will of course api)ear self-evident to the old hand,
but may be of sonic help to the beginner.
2. liATTKRV.
Of eleven difterent bores of ritle I have used on game, besides a good
many more I have handled, the following are, I think, the best and most
useful all-round weapons :
.256 two steel rods, covered wood, two brass brushes, four bristle.
.400
j
.600
two do. to take a similar set of brushes for each.
12 B. one wood-jointed rod, jag mop, and wire brush.
Four yards tlannel, i lb. tin vaseline,
4]-
pint tins rifleline, 2-^- pint
i rantroon.
Cartndges.
It is difficult to advise what number to take, for in nothing do men
vary so much as in the e.\penditure of ammunition.
Here is the summary of a carefully kept record of every shot fired
during my trip through Abyssinia which may be some guide. I never
shot a beast unless wanted either as a specimen or for meat, nor did I
shoot at a bird unless for the pot.
Cirtiidges.
APPENDIX V.-HINTS TO SPORTSMEN
495
Personally, I invariably keep all the rifles in use loaded, except when
they are cleaned. On bein;,' brought into camp, they are taken straight
to my tent and tied to the tent-pole next the head of my bed. I adopted
this practice contrary to all usual precept, from having lost many shots
through a rifle not being ready, and after twice being nearly shot by shikaris
loading hurriedly in face of big game, and touching the trigger in doing so.
Arms
for
Escort.
Snider carbines, 1 o.
Ball cartridges, 300.
Blank cartridges, 300.
Permission may sometimes be obtained to practise these at tlie .\x
Aden.
The English makers turn i)ut good work, but they sacrifice too much
to extreme lightness, and their tents have not the many little dodges an
Indian tent has.
If you want a house for six months or a year, you generally look at it
before taking it, but a man often orders a tent, as if there were but one
pattern, and discovers when too late, that he, at all events, has not got the
right one.
If an English tent is taken, it should be of green rot-proof canvas, with
double roof quite 6 inches apart, the outer fly nearly touching the ground.
One
7
feet long by
9
feet wide is a good size for a man to live and sleep
in, or it will accommodate two and leave a good passage down the centre.
A verandah 8 feet out, to lace on so that either side can nearly touch the
ground while the other is some way oflf it, makes a good dining-room. For
one man only to sleep in, a tent 6 feet
9
inches square is sufficient, and
where much rain and cold is not to be encountered, the addition of a
verandah, on the same plan, but smaller than the last, will make it all that
is necessary. If the sportsman will look after the following points, I
think he will not regret it :
Cords : stout, along the ridge and top of walls to hang things on.
,,
thin, to tie up sides, etc., ends to be worked, not lashed.
Doors : to fasten with toggles outside, tapes inside.
Ends : to be lined, to keep out sun and driving rain.
Outer ply and verandah : to be lined, to keep out sun.
Ground sheet : of rot-proof canvas full size of tent.
Hood : a small one at either end.
Loops : to peg walls down by, are often left too long.
496
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Overlap at corners should be
3
inches wide
; lace down corner, and toggles
inside.
Pockets : all along each wall.
Pegs: galvanised iron, 10 inches long.
Mallet : iron.
Poles : jointed, ridge-pole bayonet-socketed, otherwise it will be found, as
the material stretches, the pole parts and the tent collapses when being
pitched.
Runners of -|- inch thick hard woodthey are often made too thin, and
become useless after a little wear.
Camp Furniture.
Chairs : an
"
Ibea" green canvas seat and bent wood arms. .\ fairly light
deck chair.
Bedstead : compactum, 6 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 6 inches.
Bedding : a green canvas sheet
9
feet by
5
feet
; coloured blankets (in the
highlands of Abyssinia frost will be encountered)
; a khaki twill bag,
the width of the bed, carries your clothes and does for a bolster. .A.
small pillow (do not take air or wire) with khaki cases.
Mosquito-curtains : of khaki-coloured net, pent-shaped, to hook up
over bed in tent ; or, when sleeping outside or in a room, to be
supported by two sticks.
To pack : make the bed, fold the canvas over the sides, and lift on
to ground, fold bedstead and roll in centre of bedding, put 2 broad
straps round, roll into loose sacking cover. The bed can then be
made ready in a very few minutes on arrival in camp
; no small
advantage sometimes.
Basin : tinned iron, not enamelled.
Bath : a galvanised iron one, with a light basket fitted inside to carry tools,
skin-curing materials, etc., outside a strong basket, covered with leather
and wooden lid. The chief use of this is for boiling heads
; tubbing
and washing clothes coming second.
Lantern: a square, well-made, tin candle -lantern, with talc slides, in
wooden bo.x with rope handle.
A folding lantern weighs more, is troublesome for natives to set up,
and unless space is an object, has no advantages.
A tin box gets bent and useless. An oil lamp for camp I abominate.
Table : I have never yet found a really satisfactory camp tablesimple,
strong, light and rigid
; the
"
Uganda " table fulfils the first three of
these conditions, but is not firm, 36 inches by 20 inches is a good size.
APPENDIX \:Ilh\TS TO SPORTSMEN
497
Pole-strap: "Securem" pattern, without the lantern-holder. See that it
fits the tent-pole.
Kit-sack : for clothes, spare boots, etc., with bar and padlock. A short
end of rope to tie round keeps the things together, even if the bag is
half empty.
C.\MI Tools, etc.
Saddle : well stuffed jiony - saddle,
with short girths and large
stirrups, to take a shooting-boot
easily.
Bridle : plain snaffle
;
an improved
Abyssinian bit can be got at Adis
Ababa, without which it will be
found difficult to manage some
mules.
Blankets : for men.
Canvas sheets : rot-proof, for throw-
ing over baggage, etc.,
9
feet
square, 2.
Canvas sheets : rot-proof, for loads,
if travelling in rains, 66 inches by
5
6 inches, i for each
Axe : 5 lb. head, spare handle.
Wood chopper.
Saw : cross-cut, folding.
small tenon.
Screw-driver.
Bradawls, etc., in holder.
,,
I small.
Number punches : small, for brass,
o to
9.
Wire pliers.
Spoon : iron, narrow, long handle,
for removing brains.
Butcher's knives: small, gd. to is.
each,
24.
Butcher's knives : stouter,
4.
Clasp knives : common two-blade, for
skinning heads, 6.
Water stone.
Emery stone.
Screws : assorted,
4
doz.
Nails: Japanese, wire, li
lb.
,,
wire,
4
inch for skins, 50.
Copper wire, stout, 2 lb.
Brass wire, fine,
A
lb.
String : thick, 2 balls.
fine, 4
balls.
Labels; linen,
4i
x \\,
500.
Needles : packing, 6.
Blue lights, 6.
Rockets, 6.
Paint, black enamel, and brush, for
painting numbers on loads.
Looking-glass : small, in case.
Sponge and bag.
Hair brush and comb.
Tooth brushes,
4.
Soap box.
Bath towels : medium size, 2.
Housewife : plenty of buttons, large
needles, strong cotton and thread,
tape, pins, safety
- pins, bodkin,
etc.
Scissors
;
pair ordinary and pair nail.
.Marum clocks : small, 2.
Watch and leather guard.
Whistle : good shrill.
Measures : spring tape, with ring to
take lanyard, 2.
Spectacles : smoked glass.
Field-glasses : Zeiss
7 A night marine
for choice.
K
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Telescope : if Ibex shooting.
Thermometer.
Aneroid Barometer
Prismatic Compass.
Camera : (hand) No. Binocular,
with Zeiss lens, is very portable
and satisfactory (all the views in
Abyssinia were taken with one).
Plates in air-tight tin boxes.
Ruby cloth lantern.
Foreign note-paper and envelopes.
Crested note-paper, a few sheets.
Pocket note-books, 8.
Penny account-books, S.
Diary, larger MSS. books, 2.
Ink bottle, travelling.
Blotting paper.
Pen-holders,
2, and 8 nibs.
Pencils, 8.
Camp-Kit to dc pinchased at Aden.
Khaki jackets for men,
4.
Cartridge belts, 10.
Copper plates and pots, each 2.
Scales (for Somali rations), i.
Buckets : tin,
4.
Mugs : tin, 12.
tin, 6.
Drums for ghee.
Water casks.
To be piireliased at Berbcra.
Cotton sheeting for native tents,
packing skins, dusters, etc., etc.
Native axes.
Ropes additional, half a load.
If camels are to be purchased, mats
and ropes will be required.
To be got at Adis Ababa.
Burnouses ; one for each man and
a few additional.
Pack-saddles.
Sheepskins : three for each saddle.
Raw hide ropes, one to a mule.
Ropes : 2 to a mule and an addi-
tional load.
Leather bags : for carrying skins
and skulls, etc., etc.
Sickles, 6.
Firing irons, 6.
Copper cooking pots, iron plates,
and wooden bowls, one of each to
a tent.
Iron hoe for trenching.
5. Cooking Utensils, etc.
Bellows.
Cook's knife.
fork.
., spoon.
Chopper.
Tin openers, 2.
Cooking pots (alnminium),
3.
Kettle (aluminium).
Frying-pan (aluminium).
Small mincing machine.
Berkefeld filter and extra candle.
Sparklet bottles covered thick felt,
3
Milk jug.
Tea-pot.
Soup-plates, 2.
Ordinary plates, 3.
Dish, I.
Pie-dish, i.
Cup and saucer.
Tumbler.
ArPE.xni.x i:-///.\Ts to :>J'oats.u/:.v
499
Egg-cup. I Butter-pot.
Small forks,
3.
Sugar-bo.x.
Table-spoons, 2
j
Salt-box.
Dessert-spoons, 2 Pepper-box.
Tea-spoons, 2. All except the knives to be alu-
Sniall knives, 2
'
minium.
6. Stores.
.A.11 stores should be packed in hinged wooden boxes, if for mules not
to exceed 24^
inches long by 14 inches deep by 14 inches wide, outside
measure, and
75
lbs. in weight.
For camels they should be 27 inches long by
13^;
inches deep by
iS^ inches wide, and not weigh over 1 12 lbs. each.
If each box is numbered on all sides with some distinctive mark,
such as a circle or triangle, much trouble will be saved in disturbing loads,
for a native will recognise a mark while he cannot a numeral.
Distribute each sort of store over as many boxes as possible, so that,
in case of loss, it will be less felt.
Exact lists kept up to date will save much useless trouble and loss of
temper to all concerned : my store list is set out like this ;
Weights.
Peaches . . 1 2 lb. T
\
Pears ..32lb. T.
\
I I
Pepper . . I
i
lb. P. ... I
Potatoes . . 4 1 lb. T. i ... I ... 1 I
When an article is moved to the dispense-box it is crossed out, and if
the last of its kind, in the total column as well. If store-boxes are
entrusted to the care of natives, endless breakage, loss, and theft must be
expected, besides never knowing where anything is, or how much of it is
left.
I generally keep two bo.xes for dispense stores and miscellaneous small
articles in daily use.
Have a tight-fitting lid made for each sort of tin, such as jam: milk,
and oatmeal ; this saves much trouble and waste from opened tins
upsetting
;
pack all bottles in corrugated paper covers. Remember to
keep the two boxes of a load as nearly equal as possible, and ahvays as
much out of the sun as may be.
Personally I have found the A. & N. Stores most satisfactory in fitting
out my various tripsthey enter into the carrying out of one's ideas, and
the manager of the Export Department takes great personal interest in
everything proving a
A SPORTJNG TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Provisions to take from
England.
Apricots, dried, i lb. tins,
4.
Apricots, I lb. tins,
3.
.'Vpple-rings, I lb. tins,
4.
Arrowroot,
\
lb. tins, 2.
Baking- powder,
\
lb. bo.xes, 4.
Beef, corned, A. & N., i lb. tins,
4.
Lazenby's,
\\
pint packets,
18.
Soups, Maggi, pint packets, 12.
,,
Nelson's pint packets, 24.
Sago, 2 lb. tins,
3.
Salmon, i
lb. tin,
4.
Salt, farina, i lb. tins,
3.
Sardines, small tins (2 sets Hors
d'Oeuvres), 12.
Sa.\in tabloids, 2000.
Soap, Sunlight, packets, 6.
Windsor, tablets,
4.
Sparklets, 60 doz.
Sugar, Demerara,
3
lb. tins,
4.
Tea, I lb. tins, 6.
\'egetables, compressed, Cholet &
Co.,
\
tins, 8.
Vinegar essence,
\
bottles,
4.
Worcester sauce, small,
4.
Provisions to be got at Aden.
Flour, Trieste, 150
lbs.
Matches, boxes,
3
doz.
Rice, 50
lbs.
Can be purc/tascd at most large
mar/cets.
Coffee.
Flour, coarse (requires time to
grind).
Potatoes.
Salt.
7. Drugs.
For one without any special knowledge the followi
seful list
;
will be found a
APPENDIX v.HINTS TO SPORTSMEN
SOI
Phenacetin,
5
gr. tabloids, 200.
Quinine,
3
gr. tabloids, 1000.
Chlorodyne, 2s. 6d. bottles, 2.
Lead and Opium,
4
gr. tabloids, 2
bottles.
Ipecacuanha,
5
gr. tabloids.
Blue Pills, 200.
Calomel, 2 gr. tabloids.
Castor oil,
4
oz.
Elliman's Cattle Embrocation, re-
bottled in 2.
Laudanum,
i
oz.
Permanganate of Potass, 2 gr. tab-
loids.
Carbolic acid, pure, 2 i lb. bottles.
Boracic acid in powder,
\
lb.
Iodoform,
J
oz.
Caustic pencils, 2.
Vaseline, i lb. tin.
Sulphur ointment, i lb.
Insect powder, 2 tins.
Cough lozenges,
4
oz.
Sulphonal tablets, i bottle.
Adhesive plaster, i inch, i roll.
Cotton-wool,
L
Wt,
Lint,
J
lb.
Bandages, 2
J
inch, 6.
Clinical thermometer.
Glass syringe.
Lancet.
Prick and tweezers for taking out
thorns.
Bromo paper,
4
packets.
Alum, \ lb. pieces (to clear muddy
water), 1 2.
Tooth-powder,
3
bo.\es.
Plaster of Paris,
i
lb.
Ink, small bottle.
Seccotine, i tube.
Turpentine, 2 drums of
5
gals, each
(Aden).
Burnt Alum,
4
parts to one of salt-
petre in I lb. tins, 10 lbs.
Naphthaline in i lb. tins,
5
lbs.
Champagne, 6 pints.
Brandy,
3
pints.
N.B. Pack all bottles in corrugated
paper covers.
8. Clothing.
These to consist of knicker-
{a) .Somalis.
Headman, Rs.70 to Ks. 100; cook, Rs.50 to Rs.70; head
shikari, Rs.50; second do., Rs.40
;
skin-man, Rs.25
; camel-
men, Rs.2o.
APPENDIX v.HINTS TO SPORTSMEN
{b) Abyssinians.
Headman, 8 to 8io : l)oy, .^6 to
.S9 ;
imilcteeis,
84
to '?'
:
''"
of these rising by i?i a month till the end of the journey.
Allowance for rations 82 a month each. For the return
journey, if they do not accompany the sportsman, full ration
money and half wages.
At Adis Ababa baggage mules cost 840 to
850 ; riding do., 850
to
860; donkeys,
87
to
815 ;
pack-saddles and ropes,
84
to
85;
leather
sacks. Si to 82^.
Much depends on a good interpreter. If a Somali-speaking Amharic
cannot be found on the coast, take one that speaks good Arabic
;
for even
if no one can be engaged in the capital who can translate the language of
the country direct into one the traveller understands, there will be no
difficulty in securing an Abyssinian who speaks Arabic fluently.
APPENDIX \'l
The Economic Conditions of British Somaliland.
Abyssinia, and Ervthrea.
I. British So.mai.ii..\\d.i
The British Coast Protectonitc, though of small value in itself, is a useful
possession as a distributor and entrepot for the hinterland. It is especially
of great and growing importance as affording the readiest means of access
to Southern Abyssinia.
The Ports of the Protectorate are three in number : Zeila, Berbera,
and Bulbar. The population of these in the trading season (October to
March) maybe roughly estimated as follows: Zeila
15,000, Berbera 30,000
to
35,000,
Bulbar 10,000 to 12,000. In the slack season (March to
October) it sinks to something hke half these numbers.
Zeila labours under a great disadvantage in the matter of its harbour,
the entrance to which is rendered dangerous by sunken reefs, while the
water is so shallow that goods can only be landed or shipped at high
and half tides, and vessels of 1 00 to 200 tons ha\c to anchor a mile from
the pier-head. Berbera, on the other hand, has an excellent natural
harbour, in which vessels of almost any draught can lie with safety in
any weather. Of late jears, however, the approach to the pier, alongside
of which vessels of 14 feet draught used formerly to lie, has been rendered
difficult by an accumulation of silt, due to the action of the sand-laden
winds which blow from the interior during the summer months. Local
resources have failed to cope with this evil. Bulbar is, strictly speaking,
not a port, but an open roadstead, in which only vessels of shallow draught
can find shelter.
*
The facts and figures contained in this abstract are mostly taken from the Foreign
Office reports of 1898, 1899, and 1899-1900. The opinions expressed are my own.
509
5IO
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
The trade of the Protectorate is considerably handicapped by the want
of direct communication between its ports and Europe. While Jibuti,
30
miles distant, is regularly visited by the French mail-packets, besides
being connected by telegraph with Marseilles, Zeila and Berbera are
entirely dependent on one small local steamer belonging to Messrs.
Cowasjee Dinshaw and Bros., wliich calls at Zeila once a week and then
returns via Berbera, to Aden. Thus letters from Europe take five days
from Zeila to Aden, a distance of 120 miles. Telegraphic communication
there is none. The only ocean-going steamers which touch on the coast
are the few bringing rice direct from Calcutta. A new line of smaller
boats has lately begun running from Busrah (Balsorah) in the Persian
Gulf with cargoes of dates. With these exceptions every article of import
or e.\port has to be transshipped at Aden.
Nor are the ports of the Protectorate any better off, compared with
their French rival, as regards communication with the interior. The
French are constructing a railway from Jibuti to Harrar (a distance of
200 miles) which is already open for traffic as far as Lassarah
(163 kil.).
The length of the caravan-route from Zeila to Harrar is 180 miles, from
Berbera to Harrar
243
miles. Both routes are mere camel-tracks, wheeled
traffic being unknown in the Protectorate. The principal feature of the
Zeila trade is the export from the fertile region of Harrar, the Galla country
and the adjoining districts of Abyssinia, and the import of European and
American goods to the same. It is clear that as soon as the French
railway is completed to Harrar, a great deal, if not the whole, of this
traffic will be deflected to Jibuti. The trade of Berbera being mostly
with the interior of the Protectorate and the native tribes beyond, is con-
sequently not subject to this outside competition. During the past two
years Zeila has profited by the outbreak of tribal disturbances in the
French protectorate, which made the Jibuti
-
Harrar route unsafe for
caravans
;
on the other hand the trade of Berbera with the hinterland
has been injured by the temporary insecurity caused by the rising of the
Moslem fanatic popularly known as the
"
Mad Mullah."
The chief articles of import are : cotton piece-goods, grey shirting
(locally known as
"
Americani
),
silks, rice, and dates; the bulk of the
export trade consists of coffee, skins, gums and resins, ivory, mother-of-pearl,
salt, ghee, and live stock.
APPENDIX VI.-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
I. Totril value of duty
3,
APPENDIX Vl.-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
513
himself to mild inquiries, while his rivals secure the trade of the country,
is merely on a par with the supineness of the British Government. Having
allowed the French to establish themselves at Jibuti, and handed over the
fertile province of Harrar to the Abyssinians part of that policy of
"
graceful concessions
"
which gave Port Arthur to Russia, and the Western
Soudan to FranceLord Salisbury's Government have made the further
mistake of letting the French forestall us in establishing railway com-
munication with the interior. While the latter are straining every nerve to
complete the line between Jibuti and Harrar, and thus secure a monopoly
of the Abyssinian trade, our rulers, though frequently urged to do so, have
made no effort to secure the same advantage for the British ports. Unless
they change their attitude of
"
masterly inactivity," it needs no prophetic
insight to foretell that the French will attain the object they have in view,
and the Abyssinian trade with its possibilities of almost indefinite extension
be lost to us for ever.
The disadvantages which the British Protectorate labours under are
threefold. First, the wholly unnecessary trans-shipment of goods at Aden,
adding greatly to their cost and to the difficulty of competing in European
markets with the produce of other regions, e.g. American coffee
;
secondly,
the growing insufficiency of harbour accommodation owing to the gradual
silting up of the port of Berbera
;
thirdly, the want of cheap and rapid
transit to Harrar and Abyssinia.
The remedies suggested by a perusal of the Blue Books and personal
observation arc : first, the establishment of direct communication with
Europe by arranging with (and, if necessary, subsidising) one of the
existing lines of British steamers to call regularly for freight at Berbera
and Zeila
;
secondly, the systematic dredging of Berbera harbour
;
thirdly,
the construction of a light railway running from Zeila or Berbera to Harrar,
or better still to Tadechamalca, at the foot of the Abyssinian highlands,
which would do away with the loss of time and money involved in the
re-loading of goods at Gildessa and Harrar. It is to be hoped, now peace
is restored in Eastern Somaliland, that the Government will see its way to
carrying out at least the third of these works before it is too late.
2.
Abyssinia
1
The peculiar formation of the Abyssinian plateau, which rises like a
wall of rock from the surrounding plains, and the wide waterless region
'
The facts and figures contained in this abstract arc taken from the Foreign Office
Blue Book (Nov.
1900), containing the interesting reports of Mr.
J.
L. Baird, attached to
the British Agency at .-^dis .Maba. and Mr.
J.
Gcrohmato, British Consular agent at
5'4
A SPOTTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
which separates it from the sea, have ah\ays. restricted the external
commerce of the country to a few outlets, through which the great trade-
routes have passed from time immemorial. The produce of Shoa and the
Galla countries finds its natural dcboucJu' by the road, which leads from
Adis Ababa, over Harrar to Jibuti, Zeila, or Bulbar ; that of Gojam,
Amhara, and Tigre passes by Metemmah to the Soudan and Egypt, or is
carried through Adua to the port of Massowah. In the interior of the
country the traffic is carried on entirely by means of pack-horses, mules,
and donkeys, as most of the roads are merely rough tracks that only admit
of animals walking in single file. On the hot sandy plains, which stretch to
the coast, camels are the ordinary means of transport.
Owing to the fact that no records are kept at the custom-houses either
of Harrar or Adis Ababa, it is impossible to obtain any accurate data
about the commerce of the country. The following statistics of the
relative value of the various exports and imports of Shoa and Harrar must
therefore be taken as merely approximate. They were supplied by the
most prominent merchants at Adis Ababa and Harrar, but a comparison
with the official statistics of British Somaliland leads me to think that the
estimates are, generally speaking, too low. Of the trade of Tigrd,
Amhara, and Gojam, no reliable information is to be obtained.
A. ADIS ABABA.
Eslimated I'aliic
of^
(a) Imports.
United
Kingdom Germany. France. America. Total.
1. Cotton goods
^123,500 ^^400 ... j^ioo,ooo ... ^223,
900
2. Silk goods 1,000 1,920 ^8,700 ... ...
28,900
3.
Woollen goods 10,500 .. ...
... 10,500
4.
Arms . . ... ... 21,500 ... ...
21,500
5.
Miscellaneous 2,500 8,200 1,700 ...
jCsoo 12,900
Totals
^137,500 ^27,300 ^31,900
/ioo,ooo
^500 ^297,700
'
I lia\e reduced the ee
to sterling, taking )?io = ^i
viiich in tile Foreign Office Blue Book are in dolla
APPENDIX VI.ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Si6
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
to Zeila or Jibuti. This was the one by which our caravan travelled. It
may be mentioned here, as an e.xample of the good sense of the Emperor
Menelik in dealing with trade, that, on the representations of the Harrar
merchants, he consented last year to abolish for the present the export
duty on Abyssinian coffee.
It will be noticed from the above figures that, both at Adis Ababa and
Harrar, the value of the imports considerably exceeds that of the e.xports.
Mr. Baird accounts for this by the supposition that during the unsettled
times which in Abyssinia preceded the accession of Menelik, a great deal
of treasure was buried
;
this, now that the just and orderly government of
the emperor has made such concealment unnecessary, is being gradually
unearthed, and made available for the purchase of European goods. The
chief articles of import are the same which have already been mentioned
in speaking of British Somaliland
;
and here also the natives everywhere
give preference to the American grey shirting or sheeting, which they use
for making tents, shirts, and trousers, over that manufactured in the United
Kingdom or India. Manchester, however, holds its own in chintz, twill,
doria (striped white cloth), and muslin (known locally as "shash").
Turkey-red from Glasgow, used chiefly for saddle-cloths, is preferred to the
clieaper ciuality made in Germany. The principal buyers of the silks,
satins, and velvets ijnported from France and Germany are the Emperor
and the Rases. The supply of arms and ammunition is entirely in the
hands of the French from Jibuti, but the market is overstocked with out-
of-date military rifles, such as Gras, of which, as I know on good authority,
there are quite 500,000 in the country at the present time. There is,
however, a demand for Express and Lee-Metfords, which find a ready sale.
The main exports of the country are gold, civet, ivory, coffee, salt, and wax.
To these products must be added iron-ore, cotton, and tobacco, which as
yet are not exported, though there is no reason why they should not be.
Gold is brought from Wallega in the form of dust, from Beni Shongul in
rings, and from the other provinces generally in nuggets. The export of
ivory is increasing, owing to the new provinces conquered by the Emperor
Menelik, north-east of Lakes Rudolf and Stephanie, where large herds of
elephants still exist. Most of the ivory and gold is in the hands of the
emperor, the great and small vassals paying their tribute in these two com-
modities. Moreover, of each elephant killed only one tusk belongs to the
sportsman, the other going to the emperor. Civet is a secretion extracted
from certain glands of the male civet-cat
(
/ 'ivei~)-a)
; it is principally exported
to France for the manufacture of scent. Salt is produced by the region
round Arho, in the north-east of Tigre. Wax comes chiefly from the Galla
countrj', the natives of which are in the habit of placing wicker-baskets in
APl'KADIX V/.ECOA'O.^fJC CONDITIONS
517
trees, where they are filled with honey and wax by the wild bees. It may
be noted that the national drinks, tej and araki, are both distilled from
honey.
The .Vbyssinian (Habashi) cofl'ee is indigenous in Kaffa (whence the
name), Gomo, Ennarea, and a nimnber of other districts. It has a fine
flavour, and, if better cultivated and not handicapped by heavy duties and
expensive freight, might again become the staple export of the country.
At present it is considered inferior in aroma to that produced in Harrar,
which is of excellent quality, and is even preferred by connoisseurs to the real
Mokka. Cotton grows wild in Harrar and many parts of Abyssinia,
especially in the region bordering on the Blue Nile (Abbai). It is also
largely cultivated throughout the Abyssinian uplands, where it is woven into
blankets and the
"
shamnias," which form the chief part of the national
costume. These shanimas of native manufacture are preferred by the
people to all European imitations which have hitherto been put upon the
market. Tobacco likewise grows well in Harrar and the Galla country,
and is of fine quality. It is extensively smoked by the natives of these
provinces, but little used by the Abyssinians except in the form of snuff.
None is exported, though it should find a ready sale in Arabia and the
eastern coasts of Africa. Iron-ore abounds in Damol, Agomeder, and
Harrar, and is smelted locally, and manufactured into spears, knives, tools,
and agricultural implements.
It will be gathered even from this brief sketch that the natural wealth
of the country is very considerablethe soil in many regions, and par-
ticularly in Harrar, being of extraordinary fertilityand that with improved
cultivation, a settled government, and the removal of the heavy disabilities
by which trade is hampered at present, the agricultural exports at least
might be almost indefinitely increased and a corresponding rise take place
in the value of imported goods. The drawbacks are the long distances
over which goods have to be carried, the primitive means of transport, the
frequent reloading, and the consequent heavy freight and interminable
delays. As stated above, goods are generally carried by camels from Zeila
or Jibuti to Gildessa, there reloaded on mules, which carry them as far as
Balgi (or Harrar), where they are transferred to donkeys, and thus taken
to Adis Ababa. A camel caravan takes from twenty to thirty days
between Zeila and Harrar, and thirty to forty-five days from there to Adis
Ababa. The journey from the capital over Debra Markos to Metemmah
occupies some thirty-two days ; that by Debra Tabor, Makalle, and Adua
to Massowah, about fifty-six. Goods can therefore come from the coast to
Adis Ababa in about two months, but no reliance can be placed upon this
estimate in any commercial venture, for the delays owing to the transfers
5i8 A SPORTIiVG TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
are so great and frequent, that the caravans often take three or four times
as long. The cost of transit from Zeila to the capital is from
4 1 to
46
per camel-load of
504
lbs. To this has to be added the 10 per cent
import and export duty, besides the tolls to be paid on the road, which
amount in the aggregate to another
3
per load. In the matter of tolls,
however, the Zeila route compares favourably with the one leading to
Massowah, on which they are collected no less than five times between
Adis Ababa and the sea. .-\11 these causes contribute to enhance the cost
of merchandise and thus to depress trade, in some cases proving absolutely
prohibitive. The British consular agent at Harrar, for instance, states that
the imports of coffee from the interior are now next to nothing, the sale
price of
%\
per faraslah
(40
lb.) not covering even the cost of transport
from the Abyssinian districts to Harrar.
I can only repeat my conviction that the readiest means of removing
these disabilities, and developing the trade with Abyssinia, as well as
securing the transit to ourselves, would be theimmediate construction of a light
railway either from Berbera or Zeila to Harrar and Tadcchamalca. Even if
it were necessary to guarantee a private company a certain rate of interest
for a few yearsas was done in the case of the Canadian PacificI feel
sure that the surplus revenue would in a short time be sufficient to make
the guarantee merely nominal, while in a very few years the wisdom of such
a measure would be as apparent to all as it has been proved to be in the
parallel case I have cited. My own experience leads me thoroughly to
endorse the opinions expressed by Messrs. Baird and Keyser on the great
possibilities of Abyssinia as a field for commercial enterprise. Everywhere
in the interior, where 1 passed on my journey from Adis Ababa, crowds of
people gathered round my men at the various markets, asking if I had
nothing for sale. With a vast population only beginning to realise its
wants, with the standard of comfort rapidly rising and leading to an
increased demand for European goods, with a settled and just government
such as it has never known before, Abyssinia has a great commercial
future before it, and the nation whose merchants and manufacturers first
realise this and grasp the opportunity will reap a golden harvest.
3.
Ekvthrea.i
The Italian colony of Erythrea is divided into three great climatic
zones, each of which may be again subdivided into an upper and a lower
region. Starting from the coast line they are :
'
I am indebted for most of the facts and figures contained in this sketch to Major
Vittoria Elia, chief of the staff of the Itahan forces in Erythrea. The Italians spell, as
they pronounce, the name Eritrea ; so Hkewise Etiopia, etc.
APPENDIX VI.-ECONOAflC CONDITIONS
519
I. Quolla. Elevation below 1500 m. (ca. 5000 ft.) above sea-level.
(ii) Lower region. Temperature min.
28
to max.
48
C. (82' to
118'
K.). This is the district called the Sanihar, outside
Massowah. The soil is arid and sandy
;
trees arc few, except in
the neighbourhood of water. Products nil. The fauna com-
prises lion, hya;na, jackal, many kinds of antelope, and along the
coast, ostriches. Reptiles abound ;
many venomous snakes,
python, and crocodile arc found.
{h) Upper region. Temperature min.
22"
to max.
28'
C. (72 to
82
F.). Flora; tamarisk, mimosa, euphorbia or qi/o/quol Uen.
Products : incense and gums, ebony, cotton, and maize. Fauna :
lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros, elephant, hippopotamus, ante-
lope, and gazelles.
2. Usina Dega.Elevation, 1500 to 2500 metres above sea-level (ca.
5000 to 8000 ft.).
(a) Lower region. Temperature min.
22'
to max. 25 C. (72' to
77 F.).
(b) Upper region. Temperature min. 13' to max. 17' C. (55 to
63
F.). Flora : numerous trees and shrubs, e.g., sycamore,
terebinth, lemon, orange, banana, coffee. .Ml kinds of cereals
grow well. Cattle, good horses, and mules are plentiful.
3. Dega, on the Abyssinian plateau. Above the altitude of 2500
metres (ca. 8000 feel).
(<)
Lower region. Temperature, min.
10'
to 13' C. (50" to 55" F.).
Vegetation ^scanty. Plenty of cattle and long-haired sheep.
Fauna : leopard, hysena
;
eagles and falcons, a {e.vt guinea-fowl,
two kinds of partridge.
{h) Upper region. Temperature from amaximum of
10'
C.
(50
F.) to
a minimum in winter of sc\eral degrees under o. The \egcta-
tion consists almost exclusively of lichen and gehonieand in
Tembicn the kousso tree.
The total population of Erythrca is about 330,000
souls. The figures
below are taken from the census of 1900, as forwarded by H.E. the
Governor to the Italian Foreign Office. They are fairly reliable, though
as far as the native population is concerned they cannot be regarded as
absolutely correct, for the reason that a good many of the latter are nomadic
in their habits
FXONOMIC CONDITIONS
Ten British and three other European cargo-boats imported .
5489
tons.
Thirty-four Khedivial Company steamers from Suez and Aden
imported ...... 1642 ,,
One British boat from CarditT imported t(ial . . . 4500 ,,
Italy, like England and unlike France, forbids the importation and sale
of fire-arms to natives.
The total value of the exports for the year 1S99 was 1,628,000 francs
(equal to about
^65,120).
The natural products of the colony are much
the same as those of British Somaliland and of the Abyssinian highlands,
namely, maize, dhurra, cattle, skins, cotton, and coffee. The latter grows
well in several districts of the colony, and has been planted by order of the
Government in others, where it is beginning to give good results. Cotton
also thrives in several districts
;
tobacco has been planted experimentally
near Keren, and as it has prospered, plantations will be tried in other
districts. The experiments made with the vine and olive have been less
successful. It is said that the prospects of gold-mining are promising, but
during my short stay I could obtain no definite information on this point.
The distance from Massowah to Sahati at the foot of the mountains, being
the only portion of the railway opened for traffic in 1900, is 27 kilometres,
or 17 miles; on that from Sahati to Asmara
(85
kil. =
53
m.) the Italians
are constructing an excellent road, which in 1900 was finished as far as
Sabargouma. The distance from Asmara to Adi Quala, the last Italian station
before reaching the Abyssinian frontier, is
95
kilometres, or about 60 miles.
The boundary here is formed by the river Mareb
;
on the coast line the Italian
territory extends from Karat on the north to Raheita on the south, where
the French territory commences
; but the southern hinterland of the colony
and its boundary line towards the region claimed by France are ill-defined,
and may in the near future prove a source of considerable trouble.
INDEX
Abbai river, 204, 240, 275
course,
277
tributaries, 192
Abbi Adili, 3S4
Abbinar village,
378
Abdar Hamman, ex-prisoner, 3S5
Absinthe,
234, 415
Abyssinia-
commercial possibilities,
5
1
8
exports and imports, 514-518
products,
516, 517
Abyssinian army,
179
Abyssinian band, 130
Abyssinian traitors, punishment of,
398
Abyssinian travels, literature on, 4S7-490
Abyssinian wolf, 206
Adi Quala,
430, 521
A.li Ugri fortress,
43^
Adis Ababa
Hritish residency,
75, 154
Emperor's palace,
93
exports and imports, 514-516
foreign embassies,
75, 77, 84, 85
foreign traders, 117,
118
market, 10S-117
telephone office, 8
1
topography, 80
Adua,
390
battle of,
119,
393
church,
393
market,
391 ;
grains purchased at,
451
Aeizanas, King, bilingual inscription of,
401, 417, 418
Agiasfatra, Mount,
194
"
Ali," term of contempt, 209
Alula, Ras,
438
Aniba Giorgis,
254
Ambara mountain,
384
American goods imi^orted, 510-512
Amgoljer river,
351
Amharic inlerpreter,
437
Amimumi..n an,l Arn.s-
bailiiy .ml .-n 1 1 iiltjts rcconimended
for ~l,....lil,:4 hip,
493, 494
Fieiich trade m, 516
importation prohibited,
512, 521
Italian rules re empty cartridge cases,
450
sale of, at Jibuti Port,
8, 516
Amole, Abyssinian currency, 113, 1
59,
382, 502
Ancient city ruins,
144
Angrab valley,
348
Anjavera village,
230
Ant-bears,
423, 425
Ant-eater,
484
Antelopes, 266, 270
Baker's,
475
beira,
17, 474, 475
beisa,
475
bushbuck,
159, 162, 476
dik-dik,
15, 464
duiker, 220, 231, 269, 461
gazelle,
473
gerenuk,
15, 16, 18,
473
klipspringer, 27, 189, 466
kudu,
15, 16, 18, 25, 26, 329, 477
oribi,
231, 255, 464
oryx,
29, 31, 42,
475
reedbuck, 162, 467-472
tora hartebeest,
257,
260,
263, 461
waterbuck,
333,
466
Arab follower,
316
Argaferry Tobedgee, 241, 242
Argomeder mountains, 230
Ark, 124, 126, 405
Arm, Abyssinian measure,
356
Arms {see Ammunition)
Arroweina, 16,
474
524
A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Ashado camp, 12
Asmara,
434, 438, 520
expedition to, 180
Assenara village,
273
Attabar valley,
377,
3S2,
456
Attover, 380
Aurer Masanes mountain,
326
Austin, Majov, 291
Axum chuicli,
405
coinage, 416
governor's story,
404
monoliths, 401, 413
Baboons, 360
Bad shooting, 29
Baird, Mr.,
5, 7, 75, 97, 142, 156, 516
Baker's antelope,
475
Balaguz valley,
352
Balambaras, rank of, 119
Balarse river and valley, 264, 26S, 269
Baldini, Major,
432
Balesse bay, 2S2
Baiji village,
67
Bartering of goods for food,
4,
6
Basha Kassa (guide), 229, 234, 239, 241,
254, 270
saved from punishment, 289
story of, 263
Battle of Adua, 119,
395
Bear, 486
Beehives, 260
Beggars, 246
Beira antelope,
17, 474, 475
Bent, Mr., 401, 414, 419
Berbera
harbour,
509
population.
509
trade, 510-512
Beru, Mr.,
75, 437
Betket Nullah river, 205
Bibliography of Abyssinian travels, 487-
490
Bilen,
43
Bilingual inscription of King Aeizanas,
401, 417,
418
Biya Kaboba,
19,
466
Blue Nile (f Abbai)
Blyth, Mr.,
477
Boer war, news of, 76, 150, 17S,
431
Bohor herds, 205
Brass band, 130
Bright, Major, 291
British Government concessions,
5
1
3
British manufactures,
113, 516
British residency, Adis Ababa,
75, 154
British Soiaialiland
ports, 510
taxation, 512
trade, export and import, 510-513
British trade apathy,
512, 513
Bruce of Kinnaird, James
camel caravan,
492, 517
dearth of, 12
inspection of, 6
loss of,
23, 25
purchase of,
145
Camp furniture, kit, etc.,
496
Candles given to high-priest, 218, 28S
Caravans
Adua,
393
Axuni,
405
Burey, 2 28
Delgee Mariam, 2S4
Entotto, 166-170
first Jesuit, 286
Gondar,
303
Karnarnowastatuos, 271
Selassee,
87
Tecia Ilaymanot, 298 ;
U'goiul of
saint,
294
Ciccodicola, Captain,
76, 88, 127, 177
Cinematograph, 103
Civet, 516
Clarke, D., chartographer,
2,
5
Climbing powers of Gallas, 192
"
Cloak-room
"
for native weajjons, 8
Clothing
hot-weather kits,
56
native costumes (see Natives)
shooting-trip outfits,
499
Coffee trade,
511, 515
export duty abolished, 516
Coinage [see Aloney)
Coins at Axum, 416
Commerce {see Trade)
Convent at Abba Pantaleon, 400
Coronation stone, 410
Cotton, cultivation of,
517
Cotton, Mr. {see Powell-Cotton)
Councillor of State for Foreign Affairs,
73
Coursing match,
135
Crocodiles,
54,
201
Cubanoar river, 62
Cuberow, 206,
459
Curio dealer, 118
Curios, 416
Seljan spoils from the Omo,
177
Currency in Abyssinia, 113, 159,
3S2
Custom house, trophies impoundeil at
Aden,
440
Uamot, governor of
Captain Wellby's,
79
Harrington's advice, 78
Mcnclik's permission, 100
route decided,
79
Lake Tana, 273, 277, 279, 455, 456
Lakes
remarkable for scenery, 279
Lane, Mi.,
77.
iS?
Lasman, 15
Leather-tanning
district, 244
Ledj
Marcha, story of,
391, 395
Legends, 294,
3S6
Leontietr, Count,
expedition to Omo,
72. 177
Leopards, 189,
45S
Light railway,
suggestion,
513,
518
Lilies, varieties of,
329
Lion-hunter feted,
432
Lion-hunting, 63, 225, 331
Lobelia trees,
357, 479
Locusts,
352
Loder, Sir Edmund,
474
London,
departure from,
3
London
and
England, governor's
inquiries,
226-228
Lourre village, 361
Lurey
village,
479
Lydekker, Mr. R., 47S
M'Kelvie, Mr., 170;
story of, 152
Mad
Mullah,
434,
510
Magazine-jiistols
presented to Rases,
214, 227, 289
Magdala, 101, 152
Mahomed, 10, 38, 69
Mail steamers
cargoes
imported by, 520
detained at Aden and
Marseilles,
4
Mammals
collected by Mr. Powell-
Cotton,
Mr. Rothschild's descrip-
tion,
453-4S6
Managasha
forest, 158, 454, 455
.
Mantecura tanks, 143 -
M.ireb river,
424,
521
Maria Theresa
dollars (see- Money)
j
Marian\ Izzeto, 386
^L^rkets, 106
Adis Ab.il>a, 108-117
Adua,
390
Debra
Markos, 209
Dembatcha,
218
Dungoler, 243
528 A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA
Marriages
anecdotes, 102
audience chamber, 127
chapel, 127
coursing match,
135
European mail news,
179
gold-mining concessions,
87
Italian demands on,
73
palace,
93
permission to travellers,
6, 79,
100
Powell-Cotton's interview,
147
Powell-Cotton's messenger despatched,
236, 243
(Jueen Victoria's present,
7,
88, 133
reception of English party,
99,
122
;
luncheon, 128
shooting permits, 152, 235, 250
visit to Briti-sh residency,
137
Merchants from Gojam, 188
Metemmeh,
455 ;
garrison at, 321
Meux, Lady, loi
Minebella,
143
Modetch bridge, 34S
Mogga river, 202
Moguer river, 187
Monasteries, 268, 286
Moncorer (see Debra Markos)
Money
baboons,
360
Monkeys
gift to Menelik,
7,
88
Ras's questions, 227
Raheita,
521
Railway and mining concessions,
72
Railways
trade, 246
unsafe for travellers,
1
78
Sporting trip, hints to travellers,
2, 491-
Stamps, postage,
83
Stecker, Dr. Anton, 278
Stores for expeditions (see Caravans)
Storks,
27
Swayne, Major,
492
Swords, .113
Tadechamalca, 65, 144, 146, 464, 476
Taitu, Empress,
104,
355
Takazze river,
382
Tamchar valley, 218
Tana (see Lake Tana)
Tax levied by priests, 283
Taxidermist, 2
Taxidermy,
503
Tecla Haymanot, King, 211; legend,
294
Tej, national drink,
84, 90, 517
Telegraph stations,
431
Telephone stations, 66, 67, Si
Tembien, governor of,
384
Tents,
3, 69, 171,
175, 495
Thief punished, 117
Thomas, Mr. OUlfield,
461, 467
Thumlersf.rms I?
I, 343
Timber-felling, 158
Tobacco,
517, 521
Tomliacca, Oderali chief,
32
Tora harteljeest,
257, 260, 263, 461
Trade, exports and imports
Abyssinia, 514-518
British Somaliland, 510-513
British merchants' apathy,
512, 513
Erythrea,
520, 521
import duties,
512, 515
Translation of Menelik's letter,
235
Transvaal war, news of,
76, 150, 178
Tree lobelia,
357, 479
Trial of natives,
241,
394
Trophies despatched to coast,
145
impounded at custom house,
440
Turkogogo, 162,
459,
462
Uniform of Italian and native troops,
449
Vestments of Menelik's priests, 123
Veterinary and sick mule, 165
Vlassow, General,
85
Wages, native and European, 6, iSo,
506, 521
Wakeman, Mr.,
75
WaUla Giorgis, Ras,
153
Walkait, 4S6
Wall built by Gallas, 189
Warey, R., 388
Wart-hog,
12, 341, 345,
481
Waterbuck,
333,
466
Wax, native methods of procuring, 516
Weaving by natives, 81, 2S3
Weighing,
14,
188
Wellby, Captain, expedition to Lake
Rudolf,
79,
180
Wellby, Captain, gun for Mcnclik.
149
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